Reynolds hits the woe is the US key again.
The bizarre quote is:
I suspect that the reason why some South Korean politicians want to prop it up is that when it comes out just how bad things have been there, which looks to be Pol-Pot-bad — and that they’ve known a lot more than they’ve let on while cozying up to and propping up the North — they’ll be seen as collaborators in horror. (And some, quite possibly, may turn out to be real collaborators, on the take from the North, and might be worried that that will come out).
What? Where did this claptrap come from? So now the South Korean politicians are collaborating? Based on what? If you are going to accuse South Korean politicians of collaborating, put up or shut up.
The post is set-up using a Cosby episode and Reynolds draws them together here:
We live in a world where most of our allies are Theo Huxtables: self-centered, unrealistic, and overconfident in their assorted schemes because they know Heathcliff will always bail them out in the end. But this isn’t a situation comedy.
Correct, often life isn’t like a sitcom. Often life for South Koreans in Seoul is living 37 miles from the DMZ and within range of North Korean artillery. Wait, strike that. Life is always like that in Seoul. Bush screwed the pooch on this one and the South Koreans have to live with the most direct consequences. Funny, but that would piss me off too. Expecting your allies to simply be happy about your screwups is a bit unrealistic.
Let’s look down the decision tree here for some of our other allies if we pull out of South Korea. What does Japan do with a North Korean nuclear capability and an unsure American comittment to the region? Rearm? Bingo. What does China do if Japan rearms? Is a Cold War in Asia really what we want? Or a hot one if China decides Taiwan is more important with a Japanese military power?
What happens with the rest of the region? I don’t want to find out. The little Theo Huxtable bit is cute, but simplistic and stupid. A funny thing about democracy is that sometimes the ideas you fight for don’t win. That is okay, because the ends is the means in democracy. Respecting that diversity in long-time allies–an ally where the people are free, goes with the territory.
Reynolds’ view of America as the benevolent and benign parent in this situation completely ignores what is in the interest of the United States as well as the unbelievable complexity of Asian security policy. We gain by having a presence in South Korea. Throwing a temper tantrum because South Koreans aren’t respecting us properly is silly and counterproductive.