[KS] U.S. Military in East Asia

[Interhemispheric Resource Center]

Okinawa Summit Creates Opportunity for Rethinking U.S. Policies in Asia 

With the Cold War over and peace negotiations, as well as rumblings of
unification, happening in Korea,  the U.S. should rethink it's policies in
East Asia.  According to a recent Foreign Policy in Focus briefing paper by
Tim Shorrock, scaling down U.S. military presence in Okinawa would be an
excellent place to start.

Shorrock's analysis, "Okinawa and the U.S. Military in Northeast Asia", is
available on the web at:
http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/briefs/vol5/v5n22okinawa.htm

"The military logic of keeping tens of thousands of U.S. Marines, Army, Air
Force, and Navy personnel on mainland Japan and South Korea is quickly
disappearing," writes Shorrock, adding: "Even if there were a missile
threat in this region, the Third Marine Division in Okinawa would be
helpless to prevent it."  In addition to the marines' cloudy mission in the
region, a string of sexual violence against civilian women, some as young
as 12 years old, has caused public outrage and will be cause for some of
the international protests being staged during the summit which begins July
21st.

Shorrock argues that attention should also focus on how the U.S. military
is used to protect and influence the global system of corporate trade.  He
prescribes that the U.S. government seek new forms of diplomacy that don't
require vast military installations overseas and trillions of dollars in
weapons systems.

"It is clear from recent events in Asia that U.S. military strategy further
destabilizes as it seeks to shape the world in its interests, suppressing
expressions of instability by employing nuclear deterrence, selective armed
intervention, economic sanctions, and diplomatic pressures," concludes
Shorrock. 

For more information on Foreign Policy In Focus visit our website:
http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/

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Foreign Policy Program
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