Comments on: Pentagon’s Gates Plays Ugly American http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/35529/pentagons-gates-plays-ugly-american/ Sun, 27 May 2012 09:27:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Elizabeth http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/35529/pentagons-gates-plays-ugly-american/#comment-1272657 Elizabeth Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:01:28 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=35529#comment-1272657 For the sake of both countries, I hope that Gates's position is not the Obama administration's final position. Although I can appreciate that US government wants the issue of realignment of US forces in Japan off the agenda and is not interested in renegotiating the bilateral agreement which it sees as a done deal after years of hard work simply because a new party comes into power in Tokyo. As he said in a joint press conference with Defense Minister Kitazawa Toshimi: Our view is clear. The Futenma relocation facility is the lynchpin of the realignment road map. Without the Futenma realignment, the Futenma facility, there will be no relocation to Guam. And without relocation to Guam, there will be no consolidation of forces and the return of land in Okinawa. Our view is this may not be the perfect alternative for anyone, but it is the best alternative for everyone, and it is time to move on. We are — feel strongly that this is a complex agreement, negotiated over a period of many years. It is interlocking — (inaudible) – immensely complicated and counterproductive. We have investigated all of the alternatives in great detail and believe that they are both politically untenable and operationally unworkable. On the other hand, Gates and Obama have to understand that the Hatoyama government is equally eager to find a solution and in fact that it has already caved in to a significant extent from its campaign position that the Futenma replacement facility should be outside of Okinawa. Because rejecting the Hatoyama desire for a renegotiation outright may be the the surest way to guarantee that the issue will indeed be left to fester. The Japanese are NOT going to give in without extensive concessions and the US has nothing to gain by alienating a brand new government that campaigned on its ability to stand up to the Americans and position itself as an equal negotiating partner. For the sake of both countries, I hope that Gates’s position is not the Obama administration’s final position. Although I can appreciate that US government wants the issue of realignment of US forces in Japan off the agenda and is not interested in renegotiating the bilateral agreement which it sees as a done deal after years of hard work simply because a new party comes into power in Tokyo.

As he said in a joint press conference with Defense Minister Kitazawa Toshimi:

Our view is clear. The Futenma relocation facility is the lynchpin of the realignment road map. Without the Futenma realignment, the Futenma facility, there will be no relocation to Guam. And without relocation to Guam, there will be no consolidation of forces and the return of land in Okinawa.

Our view is this may not be the perfect alternative for anyone, but it is the best alternative for everyone, and it is time to move on.

We are — feel strongly that this is a complex agreement, negotiated over a period of many years. It is interlocking — (inaudible) – immensely complicated and counterproductive. We have investigated all of the alternatives in great detail and believe that they are both politically untenable and operationally unworkable.

On the other hand, Gates and Obama have to understand that the Hatoyama government is equally eager to find a solution and in fact that it has already caved in to a significant extent from its campaign position that the Futenma replacement facility should be outside of Okinawa.
Because rejecting the Hatoyama desire for a renegotiation outright may be the the surest way to guarantee that the issue will indeed be left to fester. The Japanese are NOT going to give in without extensive concessions and the US has nothing to gain by alienating a brand new government that campaigned on its ability to stand up to the Americans and position itself as an equal negotiating partner.

]]> By: sowsear http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/35529/pentagons-gates-plays-ugly-american/#comment-1272652 sowsear Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:23:49 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=35529#comment-1272652 It looks like Mike Mullen was in Japan at the end of October smoothing the waters. Maybe he and the present administration are aware that Gates isn't acting in our best interests: http://www.jcs.mil/newsarticle.aspx?ID=162 If he had had any oversight at all, Gates would never have gotten away with acting like a petulant child in Japan in the first place. It looks like Mike Mullen was in Japan at the end of October smoothing the waters. Maybe he and the present administration are aware that Gates isn’t acting in our best interests:

http://www.jcs.mil/newsarticle.aspx?ID=162

If he had had any oversight at all, Gates would never have gotten away with acting like a petulant child in Japan in the first place.

]]> By: Tricia Spiegel http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/35529/pentagons-gates-plays-ugly-american/#comment-1272650 Tricia Spiegel Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:04:52 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=35529#comment-1272650 So interesting--I learn a lot from Mr. Goodman. So interesting–I learn a lot from Mr. Goodman.

]]>