Wow... this blog has been taking a hit the past few days, as readership is down. WTF? Maybe I need more girlfriends?
Speaking of which, politics - bedfellows, and all that.
I've been hard on the Liberal Democratic Party - the leaders of Japan - recently. But let me play Devil's Advocate, and look at things from their side.
The LDP wants to increase its military presence to protect what it believes to be their islands in the southwest of Japan. To protect it from incursions by China who have now decided that Japan has too much on its plate to adequately look after these islands.
If America or some other country suddenly said - hey, Canada... those islands to the north... they are out of your jurisdiction and we think they belong to us, and we're sending ships to claim it... I would, as a Canadian, be pretty pissed down here in Toronto.
I would want my country to stand up to the bullying nation and make sure no one steps on us to take what belongs to us (some island I've never been to or even know what it does).
I would want my country to prove that it has the guts to not back down from a fight!
And... that's what the LDP is doing for Japan.
And so, I understand why it's being done. I think I even understand why China is doing this now.
You and I can love the LDP all we want, or we can hate the LDP all we want. This is going to play out, one way or the other. The US will become involved, or perhaps the United Nations. There will be political discussions, sanctions, possible conflicts. People may die.
But... if you believe that the land is yours, why wouldn't you want to protect it? If you give in... what's to stop China, or anyone else from stepping in and saying that another set of islands is theirs? If you show weakness, that weakness will be exploited. Again and again.
I may have a political science degree in international relations (does sleeping around count?), but I don't know how this conflict can be settled to avoid China getting a closer foothold to Japan...
But, at least this exercise has taught me that I should at least be fair in how I spew my venom.
And... I haven't even looked at China's side in all of this.
Cheers
Andrew Joseph
Speaking of which, politics - bedfellows, and all that.
I've been hard on the Liberal Democratic Party - the leaders of Japan - recently. But let me play Devil's Advocate, and look at things from their side.
The LDP wants to increase its military presence to protect what it believes to be their islands in the southwest of Japan. To protect it from incursions by China who have now decided that Japan has too much on its plate to adequately look after these islands.
If America or some other country suddenly said - hey, Canada... those islands to the north... they are out of your jurisdiction and we think they belong to us, and we're sending ships to claim it... I would, as a Canadian, be pretty pissed down here in Toronto.
I would want my country to stand up to the bullying nation and make sure no one steps on us to take what belongs to us (some island I've never been to or even know what it does).
I would want my country to prove that it has the guts to not back down from a fight!
And... that's what the LDP is doing for Japan.
And so, I understand why it's being done. I think I even understand why China is doing this now.
You and I can love the LDP all we want, or we can hate the LDP all we want. This is going to play out, one way or the other. The US will become involved, or perhaps the United Nations. There will be political discussions, sanctions, possible conflicts. People may die.
But... if you believe that the land is yours, why wouldn't you want to protect it? If you give in... what's to stop China, or anyone else from stepping in and saying that another set of islands is theirs? If you show weakness, that weakness will be exploited. Again and again.
I may have a political science degree in international relations (does sleeping around count?), but I don't know how this conflict can be settled to avoid China getting a closer foothold to Japan...
But, at least this exercise has taught me that I should at least be fair in how I spew my venom.
And... I haven't even looked at China's side in all of this.
Cheers
Andrew Joseph
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