History has proven that nationalism + paranoia + technological development = innovation.

Yes, but innovation also works better when you actually do something…you know…innovative. Going to the moon was done almost 40 years ago, along with beehive hair…

Actually, I think that the problem is that no one (except Todd Galen Carpenter) has done the reckoning in terms of the US national interest - as distinct from the interests of those with a more limited stake in the matter, including e.g., the military establishment - don’t want to give up that 4-star billet, you know - since the original rationale for US involvement evaporated more than 15 years ago.

BINGO! I get annoyed when people base their simplistic opinions about the US-ROK alliance on the unspoken assumption that government decisions and expenditures always reflect national interests.

So what? What’s your point?

The entire history and development of aviation, rocketry, nuclear bombs, and other goodies produced by the Cold War was driven by the fact that “the other guy” was doing it too. The entire Apollo missions project was sprung by the fact that the Russians put up Sputnik. The H-bomb, basically a rivalry between Edward Teller and Andrei Sakarov. History has proven that nationalism + paranoia + technological development = innovation.

Anyway, it’s probably not much an exaggeration to say that America has economically benefited from Japan and Korea holding substantial amount of Treasuries, although the significance of that seems to have started waning, as the Chinese, together with Arabs, both of whom feel less obliged to hold on to them, started to flex their economic muscles, and send the dollar travel South.

If it’s a matter of doing it with “Korean-only” technology, how about a massive program of ROK assistance to the North in getting a Taepodong successfully launch-tested?

The North Koreans used technology from the Scud missile to develop the Taepodongs, so no “Korean-only” technology here. It’s ironic when you consider that the South Koreans are adopting the Russian Angara booster as the first stage of the KSLV, which means that the two Koreas are both using Russian technology to pursue their rocket/ballistic missile programs.

Now that will get the world attention! Shouldn’t take until 2020 either, could probably be done in 3 to 5 years with a concentrated effort. And if that project didn’t clear the Americans out, nothing will; pawi will be proved right in his assertion that the US simply has to stay in Korea no matter what.

Sperwer, I think you get my point now. You can’t make a unilateral decision on something and expect the nature of things to stay the same. I suppose the U.S. can leave Korea and I suppose Korea could stop buying U.S. treasury bills. That would cause interest rates to rise and tighten monetary policy, the only thing keeping the U.S. out of a recession right now. However, consumption in the U.S. is important for Korea…

There was a similar argument back in the mid to late 80’s with Japan when Japan’s economic rise was feared and not well understood in the U.S. Why defend Japan and buy her products when they undermine our economy? (They were also selling some of our military secrets to the Soviets) Remember the old George H. Bush joke? George H. hit’s his head and gets in a comma and wakes up in 5 years later. The first person he sees by his side is Dan Quayle and Dan says, the country is doing great, the economy is doing fine and a loaf of bread is only 100 yen…

Today, in retrospect, we know such thinking was not only nationalistically immature but short sighted. Japan bought a lot of our treasury bonds, which kept more money in American’s pockets and they also reinvested a lot of what they made in the U.S. back into the U.S. (due largely to fluxuating exchange rates).

Lastly, isn’t the Korean War, the current success of South Korea and America’s continued presence in Korea creating stability in Northeast Asia pretty much the onl… errr… I mean the best excuse George W. has for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq?