Originally posted by: Dari
Originally posted by: Craig234
Originally posted by: Dari
Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Japan has been trying to break the limit set in the consititution. A really good excuse they can come up with is North Korea.
The more aggressive NK gets, the better excuse it becomes for Japan.
The problem is that it will drive the power balance between Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan to the extreme. The best thing for the region is to have Japan to stay as they were.
Wrong.
Dari, please post a Cliff's of your argument. It's too much detail.
China is increasing their military rapidly with all the money they're making. We need a Japan that can assist us, not one that is constrained by an atavistic constitution. Taiwan is on the same page as us. South Korea should be as well but I doubt if they'd care if China attacked Japan.
It's a bit ironic you did not learn the lessons of WWII, that the roots of war with Japan were the west trying to prevent the rise of compeition from Japan, and you want to repeate the same thing with China. You refer to China increasing military spending, but without any comparison to the US spending that dwarfs it.
Perhaps you should recognize that it's perfectly natural for a nation as large as China to have more power in the region, and that the problem may be not that they are getting a bit more power in the region befitting their strength, but rather the efforts by us to keep them far weaker than fits their strength as a nation - which leads to conflict.
I'm as anti-Chinese as most, in terms of seeing them as terrible for their lack of freedom and similar issues, but that doesn't make the answer to force military conflict.
I'm disappointed in both parties for a lack of efforts to get China to improve. But increasing those efforts may be the only appropriate response to their growing strength.
You do know who is giving them all that money with which they're gaining strength, right? Correct, Wal-Mart shoppers. You want to address our doing that with military conflict?
BTW, not many people are aware that the economic success of Japan post-WWII was a direct result of US subsidies to create a competing nation against China in Asia.
How would we feel about that if we were in China's shoes? If you were China, would you not want a stronger military, when yoiu have had your power restricted for decades, as the US has artificially maintained a high level of 'influence' in Asia with various means since WWII.
It's hard to see the choices as not being either China increasing its influence while the US declines there, or military conflict to prevent it.
Yes, I know, we like being 'the only superpower', with the PNAC doctrine calling for the prevention of any rival power, with war if needed, but is that the right policy?
How would we view it if the tables were turned?
Let's start competing with good policies - such as a return to fiscal responsibility and reducing imports - rather than simply acting like an empire to prevent any competition.