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2006-12-24 China-Japan-Koreas

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Posted by Mike 2006-12-24 09:02|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 another reason to withdraw US forces

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2006-12-24 09:41|| 2006-12-24 09:41|| Front Page Top

#2 Try this one on for size.

Posted by DepotGuy 2006-12-24 10:23|| 2006-12-24 10:23|| Front Page Top

#3 They share the same tendency to regard Koreans as innocent children on the world stage--and to ascribe evil to foreigners alone.

Given that they have been the battleground for over a 1,000 years between the Chinese and Japanese and then in the last 50 years between the East [China/Soviet] and West [US], its not too hard to grasp the xenophobic undercurrents. Take a look at someone else in the same strategic situation, the Belgiums. They certainly turned out to be an open tolerant society that exudes successful multi-culturalism and graceful relations with the US too. /sarcasm off

Regardless, the troops should have been pulled 10 years ago.

Posted by Spolunter Grins4865 2006-12-24 10:41|| 2006-12-24 10:41|| Front Page Top

#4 Every time I state that I think America should pull its troops out of South Korea immediately in front of my Korean friends over here, I get the "staring down at my shoes because I know I've made a mistake" response. The South Koreans are happy as hell to knock America all they want--just as long as they have Uncle Sam sitting here with 37K troops holding the nuclear umbrella over their heads.

They pay $790 million per year to support our troops, the stationing of which costs us at least $3 billion, and that doesn't include a hell of a lot of our expenses. If we were smart, we'd tell the South and their anti-American president Roh that ANY further anti-American demonstrations would be considered prima facie evidence of a desire for the US to leave and we would act accordingly. That crap would stop in a major league hurry because the South DOES NOT want our troops to go.

The Korean people aren't stupid by any means. Deep down they know damned well that we're the best friends they EVER had and the ONLY ones who don't want something from them. Right now they've got Japan demanding a nub of rock off the east coast called Dokdo, and the Chinese making noises about how parts of Korea that were Chinese during the Gorhyo dynasty really should be given back to China. Both claims are serious, too, and Korea on its own couldn't hope to fight off the Japs much less the Chinese. Without our help they're screwed and they know it. That's why you've had street protests against the SK Government attended by big numbers of Korean ex-Secretaries of Defense and retired flag-rank officers of all services. These people aren't living in some dream world; they KNOW South Korea is in a tough neighborhood and can't go it alone.

That said, the South Koreans hate to be dependent and there is this romantic attachment to the idea of the North as the repository of the "real" Korean culture. There's also, as I have posted before, the deathly fear of having the North collapse and having the South stuck with the bill for reunification; that's what really scares them.

They're in an uncomfortable spot and the path of least resistance for them is to a)kiss up to the North, and b)be as rude to us as we'll allow them to be so as to show they're "standing on their own." So, as long as we'll let them do it, they'll spit on us in public and kiss our butts in private. Sounds like a lot of the rest of the world, no?

Posted by mac 2006-12-24 15:30|| 2006-12-24 15:30|| Front Page Top

#5 They consider themselves a special breed among mankind, and yet they are perfectly okay with the starvation of thousands, even millions of their own. It makes no sense.
In fact, it is lunacy, and yes, time to bring our troops home.

Posted by wxjames 2006-12-24 15:47|| 2006-12-24 15:47|| Front Page Top

23:54 Zenster
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