Will The U.S. Defend Japan? More Of A Definite Maybe -- Paul Sracic, The Diplomat
Recent history ought to teach us the dangers of assuming a ‘slam dunk.’
The late New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once famously observed, “[P]olitics is an argument about the future, and no one knows that future.” Despite this warning, in recent weeks Jun Okumura and I have both tried our hand at predicting a future that neither of us can be confident in knowing. Still, the gravity of the event that we are both speculating about – the landing of Chinese troops on the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands and the concomitant reaction of the U.S. government – is such that it needs to be discussed and debated. That is why I am grateful for Mr. Okumura’s thoughtful response to my article. Although he no longer works for the Japanese government, those in leadership positions in Japan likely share Mr. Okumura’s understandings. Therefore, if I am right and Mr. Okumura is wrong, then perhaps the Japanese government’s actions are being guided by a false and therefore dangerous impression.
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My Comment: Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand .... these four countries are America's critical allies in Asia. Taiwan are the Philippines are also important .... but less so. If the U.S. does not come to the defense of Japan in the event of hostilities .... each and everyone of these countries will then evaluate and change their strategic relationship with the U.S. ... and in the end they will acquiesce to a China dominated Asia.
But as to the question .... "Will the U.S. Defend Japan"? My answer is yes ... because the alternative is incomprehensible.
4 comments:
You have more faith in the Obama administration than I do. Where you see incomprehensible, I see an opportunity to forever degrade American influence world wide - in a stroke, they could bring American influence crashing down forever.
No one - and I mean NO one - would ever trust us again. Under any circumstance.
To President Obama and his fellow travellers, this is a feature - something to be greatly desired, NOT incomprehensible at all. It is, in fact, a fundamental change.
Orion
I say 100% yes. Too much American blood and money have been invested in Japan. We are taught in school about our commitment to Japan, opposed to the Budapest memorandum..... That 1 in 60 Americans are aware of.
We never got past the New Deal, if we got that far.
I would have remembered if we covered WW2 and its' aftermath.
I don't think American's care.
Yes we can...with or with out that guy in the white house!
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