From: jaskew@spam.ua.oz (Joseph Askew)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Perot's "United We Stand America" launched today
Summary: Not that simple
Date: 22 Jan 93 00:00:58 GMT
Followup-To: talk.politics.misc
Organization: Statistics, Pure & Applied Mathematics, University of Adelaide

In article <21490@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> ez012344@chip.ucdavis.edu writes:
>In article <1993Jan16.033048.1568@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu> jpr1@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (James P. Reynolds) writes:

>>>Here's a starter:  make Europe and the Far East pay for its own
>>>defense.  Reduce government by 50% over 4 years.

>I'll buy that. Of course, us being free and all, it would be up to
>Europe and the Far East to pay for their own defense or not pay for it. But
>yes, I have long argued that US forces ought to be out of Europe, Japan,
>the Phillippines and South Korea.

It is not quite this simple. The US has never really defended any of these
countries or at least not with the forces sationed there. Germany was never
defended by the US forces in Germany nor Japan by the Marines in Okinawa
(you should actually read what Japanese politicians say about the Soviet
menace in private). What has defended them is the US Nuclear deterrent.
Forces in Europe are very small, nothing like that required to keep the
Russians out. Ditto for Japan and Korea. The reason for the continued
US presence is that it saves Japan (especially) and Germany a great deal
of money. If the US wasn't there they'ld have to pay for it themselves.
So far this is all pretty trival, most people accept that the US has been,
de facto, subsidising the Japanese French German etc economy. The only real
question is what has been in it for the US? The answer must be that the US
Government has traditionally regarded the money they spend as buying them
world leadership. By 'defending' Europe the US has gained the support of
the Europeans in nearly everything they do. Thus the US can invade Grenada
for essentially electoral reasons and the British (while really pissed off)
do nothing. The US can force free-ish trade and make the worlds currencies
dependent it its own - even making the Europeans pay some of the cost of
the Vietnam war (cf Charles De Gaul on the 'export of inflation' by the US)
Thus by paying for European defense the US has been able to become the worlds
leading power rather cheaply. It didn't have to fight a single war to get
the Europeans et al to give up part of their sovereignity or to become
essentially American satellite states (at least pre60's they were). If the
US gives up this role then it has nothing to encourage the Europeans and
others to support it except the threat of trade sanctions. These would hurt
the US as much or more than the Europeans but they probably will still work
against the Japanese. The point is that to give up defending Europe (from
whom we ask ourselves) the US is also giving up its position in the world.
The last war against Iraq was only possible because of the support of the
other countries in the world. If they are getting nothing in return that
support will not be there. If the US continues to wind back its military
and provides no quid pro quo for its allies then that support will not be
there next time. The US has far more to lose than anyone else. It is not
the Europeans that the Arabs blame for their problems, the Japanese have
not invaded any Latin American countries lately, Korea does not have an
African slave owning history. In short the US stands to lose more in any
change in the world than anyone else. Look at Iran, the Europeans and
Japanese lost nothing, the US was the one in trouble. In short having
grabbed the wolf by the ears it is not that easy to let go! Not without
serious consequences. The US has more (in the long run) to lose by giving
up it's bases etc in Europe and Asia than it has to gain.

Joseph Askew

-- 
Joseph Askew, Gauche and Proud  Barbarian horns draw out the northern wind;
jaskew@spam.maths.adelaide.edu  Paler than water lies the Thistle Pass;
Disclaimer? Sue, see if I care  Sky swallows up the road to Kokonor;
One China One Korea One Eire32  Moonlight, a thousand miles along the Wall.
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.activism