If the the US wishes to remain a superpower, it can’t have it both ways. In many ways being a superpower sucks. It’s expensive, much of the world resents or even hates you, and its your youth whose blood is spilled for causes that often don’t seem to make a lot of obvious sense.

The reason why America continues in its role is due partially to nationalist ego, but also due to a sense of responsibility. The American ideal is the protection and spread of liberal democracy. Yes, I know, in reality this ideal has been proven to be more hooey at times than fact, but there is something to be said for maintaining that national myth since it sometimes delivers, such as in the case of South Korea.

The other consideration is what would happen if the US began withdrawing its forces from Korea, Okinawa, Germany, south Asia and elsewhere? Like it or not, the US is the global police force. You may not particularly like the cops in your neighborhood, but would you want them to disappear all together?

Many Americans quite understandably are tired of America being the Global Cop. On the surface, its comes across as a crummy deal. But as Linkd points out, America ultimately does benefit as does those in whose markets it protects.

The difficult question, that may be actually unanswerable due to its complexity, is whether the overall global cop proposition is good for America in the long run?

The only recent historical parallel we can turn to is the British Empire. And even that case study may offer only partial understanding of America’s conundrum.

#41: Well, your countertheory in #4 that the US has only stayed in Korea for the last 6 decades due to “security considerations” begs a certain question: Security for what? Security for security’s sake? Nonsense!

That’s not what I said, but I can’t decide to give you an F for reading comprehension or intellectual dishonesty.

“Maybe that’s what should be done, just cut all ties with Korea. ”

(and other similar dark views on Koreans)

He’s a wounded bear that’s lashing out. I just think he cares too much. Just let it go, pawi.

#21: Sperwer seems to have forgotten what the Cold War was all about.

Who is for whom you have a hard-on, Kingster? Rosa Luxemburg or Karl Kautsky? I haven’t forgotten what the Cold War was about. I just don’t subscribe to the capitalist exploitation for dummies cartoon version of the neo-Marxist Stalinist fairy tale by which you apparently are bemused. Maybe that’s because I got to see the ways things worked when I worked for the so-called “Wise Man” who was known as the “chairman of the establishment”; maybe it’s not.

Well, see Maddlew, Pawi is clearly a masochist (he seems to thrive on his daily public floggings here in the Hole), whereas most of the time I am not a terribly sadistic person myself, so really, it’s not the kind of relationship that’s going to bring pleasure to either side.

As far as trolls go, I find Brendon Carr a more interesting case study. Most of the time he seems to be on the up and up in terms of the comments he makes, but then every once in a while he slips into what I would call “stealth troll” mode, for no other reason than just to stir the proverbial pot as far as I can tell. The recent accusations of Brian being a racist/sexist is one example that comes to mind, and which Carr had an obvious hand in exacerbating. But then he quickly reverts back to standard “good-faith commenter” mode, until he can lure enough people into an unsuspecting complacency — only to strike again.

i read your call for korean soldiers in american combat zones as an order for human fodder. you want koreans to die in a war but will later denigrate their deahts by telling us about the benefits to south korea.

As opposed to what, Pawi? 35,000 Americans dying in a war but later denigrating their deaths by telling us how American intervention was all about protecting US interests in NE Asia? That’s precisely what most Koreans under the age of 40 will tell you, so please, if you’re looking for gratitude for Seoul honoring the Americans by allowing them to hire South Korean mercenaries for the Vietnam War (well, OK, more along the Hessian model in that the prince, and not the soldiers, were getting paid), ask one of your neighbors in the States.

i read your call for korean soldiers in american combat zones as an order for human fodder. you want koreans to die in a war but will later denigrate their deahts by telling us about the benefits to south korea.

the last time south koreans gave their lives, that’s what you did. talk about all the benefits.