Comments on: True Alliance, Indeed

By: Railwaycharm

Railwaycharm — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:15:56 +0000

Make that IED.

By: Railwaycharm

Railwaycharm — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 03:24:16 +0000

#46 Pawi, don’t forget that the hostages had no fucking business in Afghanistan. You should also come to terms with the fact that Korea handled the situation like a pack of cowards. Your country bought IUD’s and AK-47’s with the money you paid the terrorists. Long live George Bush. Take the fight to the proper region.

By: King Baeksu

King Baeksu — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:33:04 +0000

Janus, are you familiar with the Hardt & Negri Empire thesis?

If anyone is interested, I was able to ask Colin Powell about reunification yesterday and he gave a ringing endorsement of the alliance:

http://www.kingbaeksu.com/bbs/.....amp;no=902

Apart from the fact that he didn’t actually answer my question, a fundamental flaw in his reasoning is that the South Korean people actually want reunification. In any case, he seems to be pretty happy with the status quo for now.

By: Janus

Janus — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:44:57 +0000

As for people calling America an “empire”…

Normally I’d beat you over the head with my IR diploma, but in this case I can simply point you to the dictionary…

EMPIRE: an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority, formerly esp. an emperor or empress
empire (adj.)
: [in names ] the Roman Empire.

Is America powerful and influential? Absolutely. but there’s another word for it:

HEGEMONY: leadership or dominance, esp. by one country or social group over others : Germany was united under Prussian hegemony after 1871.

By: Janus

Janus — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:37:57 +0000

I think the complaints on American attempts to establish democracy in foreign countries with no history of democracy, and by military force are particularly ironic on a SOUTH KOREAN BLOG–that is, a country that would not exist were it not for Americans doing just that.

I wonder if, in another 50 years, Afghani and Iraqi bloggers will be whining about American involvement in Africa or Mars or god knows where. No good deed goes unpunished, after all.

By: US Requests that Korea Returns to Afghanistan

US Requests that Korea Returns to Afghanistan — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:20:33 +0000

[...] appears I’m not the only one ambivalent about the dispatch of these South Korean policemen as [...]

By: mcnut

mcnut — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:53:40 +0000

hey pawi correct me if i am wrong (which rarely happens) but i think the only memorial to that ROK soldier killed in afghanistan is right here on Yongsan base

i know the roh government didnt give a rats ass about it

and now this really shows your inept ability to be logical or rational

the west created radical islam.

By: WangKon936

WangKon936 — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:42:03 +0000

Pawi,

Some of those points are true. However, I think that the U.S. applied a lot of diplomatic pressure to the Afgani government that enabled that deal to get those 23 hostages out alive also.

By: pawikirogi

pawikirogi — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:50:20 +0000

1. let’s remember koreans have already died as a result of the us in afghanistan.

2. what marmot is really saying is, koreans need to die for the benefit of us policy even though said policy has no benefit to koreans. that’s very differnt than the us intervening in korea where the us fought an ideology on behalf of it’s own thus resulting in the by-product of dictatorship in korea.

3. if the expat can figure out korea can fight the north on it’s own, do you think the folks who run the pentagon can too? it seems obvious to me the us is in korea for more than nk. that’s why the troops are there. anyone who thinks it’s because of concern needs to come out of his drunken stupor. the us doesn’t do anything that doesn’t benefit the us.

4. korean benefits the us.

5. koreans need to think long and hard before they adopt a policy that entangles them in a fight that isn’t theirs. the west created radical islam. why should korea involve itself in such?

6. unlike japan, thousands of korean troops have already died on behalf of the us with not a word of thanks from the american people. keep that in mind, korea. keep that in mind.

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:14:07 +0000

Let me recommend “Conflict and Culture” by Salzman. Its a very good primer on Islam and the west and Arab tribal culture.
NATO, exept for the Canadiens, Brits and Danes, have proven themselves to be reluctant to commit COMBAT units to the fight in Afghanistan.
Robert Kaplan defends this but I disagree and think more should be expected of our allies. By the way, I did read that there are some some small elite counter terror ARAB soldiers fighting the Taliban under NATO auspices.