Which is funny because recently more and more South Koreans are demanding they leave too… Good fun in world politics!

LOL, President Bush has 1.5 years left as President. And I would think that the next President will be given a clean slate to rethink the problem.

The Iraq War is like a Bush fire, you only have to keep it away from major sources of fuel. The rest will burn itself out. Once the US leaves, the Democratic government takes root, international terror groups will just not bother with Iraq. They will go find another vulnerable Muslim society to try and destabilize, like Sudan or Pakistan.

South Koreans want US military to leave because US presence is growing beyond collaborative defense and aims at making South Korea a regional base of operation.

South Koreans want US military to leave because US presence is growing beyond collaborative defense and aims at making South Korea a regional base of operation.

Why doesn’t the government in South Korea simply ask the US to maintain a collaborative defense and not use S. Korea as a base of operations? Wouldn’t that solve the problem.

Yeah, totally. South Korea’s like “Hey, why don’t you not use us as a base of operations? Kthx” and USA is like “Sure dude, sry about all of those nasty plans we had. We forgot to think of your feelings.”

Only the young college kids want America out of there. The old people remember what living under Communism was like.

After Unification the South will get to enjoy everything they’ve been missing. Like having a certain haircut getting you thrown in jail.

• Or eating your baby for food.

The South will never become part of the North. That is why US forces are over there. The problem is that today, China and Russia don’t want the North to win either.

All that remains of this dispute over ideology in Korea is a sad state of affairs whereby, whenever the failed Communist regime needs money, they try and revive the conflict so they can be bought off. The South has become so successful and so rich that it is easier for them to just pay the “North” tax and be done with it.

I personally believe that the US should just pull out and wait for the North to attack. Let the South Koreans manage this sad relationship with the North. Of course the North will likely never attack.

South Koreans have a real basis for worry if strategic US military assets get based in South Korea. First big worry is getting a real big bull’s eye on all their cities and bases.

Who has nukes around? Pakistan, India, China, Russia and North Korea.

The advance warning and anti-missile system the US is deploying makes all host countries first strike targets.

Maybe this is what makes South Koreans nervous.

“Why doesn’t the government in South Korea simply ask the US to maintain a collaborative defense and not use S. Korea as a base of operations? Wouldn’t that solve the problem.”

Graft in construction contracts and government corruption.

The problem with this scenario, is that what they don’t seem to realize is that Iraq is North Korea.

the only reason Bush wants to keep troops in Iraq is to protect his oil ventures

the only reason Bush wants to keep troops in Iraq is to protect his oil ventures

Very profound.

Neither rash nor a gaffe nor diffferent from Korea, except we have more reason to be in Iraq and Iran, but its more of the same reason nonetheless, ruling the world completely.

A03075

The spice must flow …

The spice must flow …

nice.

mikecimerian South Koreans have a real basis for worry if strategic US military assets get based in South Korea. First big worry is getting a real big bull’s eye on all their cities and bases.

South Korea’s primary and in fact, only strategic concern is North Korea. That is to say, if the North Korean regime, desperately poor, having lost the ideological war with the South, goes for broke and decides to go out with a bang.

The South can choose its own strategy in dealing with the North. They are a rich and free Democratic state and can choose to accept help from the US or not. I personally think that the United States should leave South Korea because the South Korea is a world power and can defend itself. Furthermore, China and Russia or no longer on the North’s side. In fact, the North has no real allies.

China’s only interest with the North is that they don’t want China’s former enemies to win outright in N. Korea because it would make China lose face. After all of these years defending the North, China’s leaders would dis-honor the Chinese soldiers of who died in the 50-53 War. So China prefers that the North reform and eventually join the South in some kind of union of equals, although the new state would be modeled after South Korea. That way China could say that the historic conflict that began after WWII was not in vain.

I know that the South would be upset at a US departure at first, however, the two allies could work together for a transational period and the US could support South Korea in other ways like they do Israel, with advanced weapons and know how.

Why the US is still there is a mystery to me.

The US lost their bases in Japan. It is for strategic reasons. US’s network of missile defense extends into Poland and probably will also extend in South Korea.

Strategic assets go far beyond the North/South legacy. It is forward defense and base of operation in a strategic location.

Does it have relevance with North Korea? Some, but it’s only part of the answer.