We haven't left Germany or Japan after over 60 years

[NNN0LHI]

I don't think we are leaving Iraq or Afghanistan any time soon?

Maybe never?

I was against going in and I am against staying but I don't think we are ever leaving.

Only reason we left Vietnam was because our soldiers were basically refusing to fight any more. I remember watching film on the evening news of an entire platoon refusing an order to fight. As long as we have people willing to go over there and do whatever they are doing I think whomever is president they will keep sending them.

Thats what I think anyway.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news.

Don

[Va Lefty]

1. Excellent point

Also, there's no Oil in Germany or Japan. I really think we are going down the same road as the old Soviet Union. What ended the Cold War wasn't St. Ronnie saying "Tear down this wall". The Cold War ended when The Soviet Union was no longer able to pay or supply its' troops. I think that day is not that far away for us.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I have long wondered why we're in those countries now.

I sure hope you're wrong about Afghanistan, but I'm afraid you're right.

Bring the troops home now!

Damn it.

[MattBaggins]

3. Every war we have fought and won since the revolution

California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Arizona, Colorado
The Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam
South Korea
Germany and Japan

We have a permanent presence in all of them. We will be in Iraq and Afghanistan for a very long time.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. We are the New Rome, and kind of like the Mafia too.

Once our goons get in the door there is just no way they are leaving and soon everything inside is ours.

[neverforget]

5. Well we did leave the Philippines but it took a volcano to get us out.

Just saying......
http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/pinatubo.htm

[Thothmes]

6. We are still in Japan and Germany

as a result of the end of WWII. Look at the constitutions imposed on both of these countires. They cannot build large well armed armies, navys, or air forces. We stay there because we imposed a set of circumstances where neither Japan or Germany could build up the armed forces to defend their counries.

[timeforpeace]

7. That was the idea in Iraq. Staying, ala Japan and Germany, not oil.

[pipoman]

8. How does the US profit from our

presence in Germany or Japan beyond maintaining a military base(s)? Do we tax the residents? Do we take their resources? I'm not seeing your point. Colonialism by definition requires utilization of the colonized countries resources to enrich the colonizer.

Iraq? I have never been online with Iraq. Afghanistan? I believe was a necessary incursion. I agree we will not be leaving either for some time if ever. I do believe our presence will be as strategic base locations and not as colonizers.

[NNN0LHI]

10. Omoiyari Yosan

Which basically means that Japan is forced to pay us for occupying them according to the Status of Forces Agreement we signed with Japan.

Not sure if there is some kind of similar agreement with Germany? Wouldn't surprise me if there was.

Don

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omoiyari_Yosan

[David Zephyr]

9. We're a guest with machine guns that never goes home.

We were routed in Vietnam which is why we left. We were defeated. And we left.

We were bombed out of Lebannon. And we left.

It seems our idea of "finishing the mission" is to never finish it.

And we wonder why we can't afford healthcare, good schools, free universities and have so much crime?

We are idiots.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. There is a bit of a difference.

The Germans and Japanese stopped shooting at us 60 years ago.

If we were fully occupying those countries, and we were responsible for their governments, and we were losing 10-20 people a month there, we'd have left those countries decades ago.

Having basing agreements in peaceful countries and having occupying forces dealing with an active insurgency are two VERY different things. And while it might be possible in Iraq (we did have base agreements in neighboring Iran for years, but the socio-political situation has changed a lot since then) I don't think we will EVER not face insurgency in Afghanistan.

Sooner or later, we will HAVE to leave. Might as well make it sooner.

[Diclotican]

12. NNN0LHI

NNN0LHI

The reason the US still are in place, and have military bases in Japan and Germany is foremost the fact that both this country after they was beaten in 1945 was not allowed to get large armies again. Because they kind of had misused their forces in the 1930s and 1940s when this little case named World War Two was going on.. And after World War two, both this country had to rebuild most of their country and that cost a lot of money.. Neither Germany or Japan had the resources or the will after world war two to both support large armies, and also build up the country they made possible after the war.. And both shoos vicely, they wanted a peacefully, founded Country where most of the population had it better than before.. And in both Country the air warfare in the world war two was well known, bot for grown ups and children who lived in the war...

And then after WW2 The Cold war started, and because non of this country had the military forces to defend them self, it was more or less naturally for US to stay put in this two country. Not just as occupier and conquers, but also as friends and allies.. And in both country US is been seeing as allied and friends, even tho the Japanese population at Okinawa is beginning to be somewhat tired of the stories of raping of young school kids by US soldiers.. Not to say the fact that 1/3 of Okinawa is still on US hand.. They want their land back so to say...

And compared to in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the footprint have been very hewyhanded and not exactly know for trying to understand the civilian population at all. Both the occupation part, and thereafter the often big footprint in military terms in both germany and japan have been really been civilized.. After 10 year occupation of West Germany, they was able to have their own army, navy and air force - most to the thank that the cold war was going really cold.. The Empire of Japan have a phasefic Constitution who regulate that the Japanese military forces are not been seeing as a MILITARY, but rather as "defense forces". Even tho the concept between the thow cases is rather thin this days.. The Japanese Defense forces is pretty well armed, and can possible give most other nations in the area who have officially an army and air force and a navy, and a existing MILITARY some really bang for the bucks.. The defense forces in Japan is advanced, and is maybe one of the best in the area as an whole.. And even then they are managed to not get into breach with their Constitution who is rather peacefully... After a nation is hit by two nuclear weapons, they tend to get a rather peacefully condition is looks like...

Diclotican