The Basing Mess

In all four examples given (Guam, Germany, South Korea, and Connecticut) things look gloom for the civilians involved in the military opening/closing of U.S. military bases. In South Korea, we see the example helpless villagers having their prime farmlands taken away for the creation of the base, and their own government ignores their cries for help. In Guam, the island is watching as the U.S. military makes it a strategic priority, and over time will have so much influence that the economy will focus around bases.

It is evident that the problem does not end when bases finally do close because even though the soldiers leave, the land is left stagnant in most examples of base closure. In the article on Stratford, it seemed as if Apuzzo was beginning to argue that base closure caused many small businesses to go under because their main clientele had vanished. However, it clear that the town is in trouble because the land has not returned to the community in order to create houses, factories, etc. The toxic waste that must be cleaned up by the military before it turns the land over, leaves the land stagnant for quite awhile because their is enormous cost in the cleanup job that the military is not hurrying up on spending. In Germany, it is not only detrimental to the community that the soldiers will be leaving, many that are intwined into the community through both the economy and even marriage, but it hurts the town because they are left with old barracks that have no functional use to benefit the town.

When looking at the problems of base opening/closing, the military is not looking at the big picture. In every case there should be resources set aside in order to not only enter in a rush, but to leave just as quickly. When they hurry into a community, they are very disruptive to the economy. Once they have been there, and the people have become dependent on the military influence, it is not fair for them to just get up and leave without a clean exit strategy. This practice puts several families in jeopardy.

Diego Garcia/ Veteran's Day

After reading the blips on Diego Garcia, and then watching the documentary in class I was astonished by the difference between the two sources. On one hand it's business as usual from the U.S. and British governments. On the other, lives have been mercilessly ruined and their history has been covered up. I know that it should not come to a surprise anymore seeing some of the atrocities taking place in order to police the world, after all, looking from the perspective of the British and U.S. government involvement in the situation it makes much more sense to maintain an extremely strategic base than to please a handful of colored British subjects (I find it hard to call them citizens because they have never been treated like them by their government). The scary thing about this situation is that neither government can coverup what happened to the islanders anymore because the truth has been exposed in the British court system; however, they are able to treat the matter like a 'ping-pong match' and keep pressure off of each other from actually doing something. Sadly, I never see these people winning the fight and returning to their native island. Something that should be so easy to accomplish.

On an entirely different note I wanted to make a point of thanking our Veterans on this day. Having a militarization blog, I thought this would be a fitting place to start. Despite all the criticism we lay on military leadership, politicians, and corporations that are involved in the militarization of daily life, I believe it is important to make a distinction for those that have served our country honorably. Many people have made extremely large sacrifices for this country. Despite how popular or legitimate their mission was, they still went out there and performed their orders for what they believed would benefit all of us, not just themselves. As veterans return from Iraq, we should hold them in our highest regards. Many of these people are some of our own peers, and they will be living the rest of their lives alongside us when they return, dealing with memories that we as students cannot even comprehend. Remember that they did not get us into this war, but they were the ones who stood up to the call when their country asked that of them.

Okinawa Reading

In Governor Ota's Message to the JPRI Conference on Security and Stability in East Asia, there were many troubling issues that came to light. The first and most important issue that I took out of this reading is the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. It must be noted that the United States is not the only actor in taking advantage of Okinawa, but Japan needs to take as much or even more of the blame. From the facts given by Governor Ota, it appears that Japan is treating Okinawa absolutely horrible by making them take the brunt of U.S. military bases. By doing so, Okinawan's are living drastically below the standard of life compared to the rest of Japan. The unemployement rate is double, the average income is 30% less, and they cannot develope their island because 75% of U.S. bases in Japan are located on their island which accounts for 1% of Japanese land. Furthermore, dealing with the loud noise and cases of military crime, hold these people victim to unpleasant living conditions. Although it would make sense that the economy was bolstered by having U.S. military presense on the island like in the case of San Diego, in fact the military only supports 5% of the local economy. However, I find this number to be extremely low, and wonder about its accuracy.

Secondly, yes, the United States does have blame in the situation. How much of a presense do we still need in Asia? With North Korea coming off the list of Terror State's recently, and China becoming more and more interwoven in our economy, can the threat of turmoil be reaccessed? Even if the military is forced to remain in the region, and therefore be subjected to Okinawa because Japan refuses to allow the U.S. to change bases to other islands, what can the U.S. do to help the native people and give back to the community? Afterall, the best way to win support for the U.S. cause is not to enforce our rule, but to help live alongside others more efficiently.

Finally, I believe that Japan had the largest military budget in Asia, but I am not quite sure. If they are the dominant presense in Asia, what kind of effect do Japanese bases have on their own people? Is it better or worse than America's impact on Okinawa?

Okinawa is a small island with two large enemies in which they cannot defeat. In order to win back their island, and return to their peaceful existence they must first take on Japan, their country that has left them behind. By winning more support in the Diet, then they will be able to pressure the United States to either consolidate or move their bases out of Okinawa. I understand the importance to have military presense in Asia, and Okinawa being such a good tactical point makes it a key military objective. However, they should not be punished for being subjected to this military island, subsistence should be given to these people for putting up with unwelcome guests.