Re: Fires of revolution sweep the Aran World
Ok.
I am glad to know that you apparently back UN reports without question.
I just don't see how you agree that mission X was failing, thus created the need for mission Y, which failed, but it was not X that failed.. it was Y. It all failed.
You have misread my post. I said the decision not to intervene in Darfur was pragmatic from the start. It could become pragmatic in my opinion if there were American interests that could be advanced through such an action.
In many cases, those "outside alternatives" are what make a deal mutually agreeable. In many cases however, they are not needed. In many trade deals we don't need those, but they are critically important in other agreements...such as the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
Obviously trading with the US is in many nations best interest. But in terms of non-trade agreements, that point is irrelevant.
It doesn't matter. Even if they are in it for their own personal interests, they are often going to want something to sweeten the pot.
So, in your opinion (since the US should not meddle), the US should have just stayed out of it, and Egypt and Israel would have pursued peace on their own? That is ridiculous.
So..we prop up foreign dictators because of the instability created by the futures market?
As for the futures market, it is nothing more than contracts between private individuals..the government needs to stay out of it.
In terms of Japan, in the post Cold-War era, our relations for now are more based on trade, but there was certainly more to it during the Cold War. Additionally, we still are able to use bases in Japan (and our presence in South Korea) to project power in Asia and stem Chinese influence.
For South Korea, obviously it was also a bigger deal militarily in the Cold War, and today trade is the major issue, but we are still able to keep North Korea at bay with our presence their, and project power into Asia.
As for the "bill", I would argue the return we see on being able to project power anywhere in the world, as quickly as we can, (something that would not be possible without bases in other countries) is far greater than the cost we bear.
It comes down to this in my mind: Are we better off as a superpower or not?
