DUCKPOND

Along with all the other problems of Empire, the natives are whinging, and unwilling. This only adds to the lesser breeds who seem, as they have since World War One, prone to combat fatigue.

The profits from the resource stealing game had better be good because otherwise the problems of Empire seem to be increasing. Threat power may work a treat, as in the intimidation of brave Australia, but the footprint must be heavy, and the ecological impact unaccounted.

There are problems everywhere, which are always threatening to get out of control when you run most of the world with guns and violence, or at least covertly with the threat of violence. Drugs seem to follow the Empire, or the Empire seems to follow drugs, from Colombia to Afghanistan. Now it seems from the innocent support for the War against Drugs, Venezuela and Colombia are on a war footing. The BBC reports:

Mr Chavez has also ordered 15,000 troops to the border, citing increased violence by Colombian paramilitary groups.

The BBC’s Jeremy McDermott in Bogota, Colombia, says that normally such declarations would not cause alarm, but because of the current tensions there are fears of a possible spark on the border which could lead to further violence.

Frozen ties

In response to Mr Chavez’s comments, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said his government would seek help from the UN Security Council and also the Organization of American States.

“Colombia has not made nor will it make any bellicose move toward the international community, even less so toward fellow Latin American nations,” a statement by Mr Uribe said.

Ties between Colombia and Venezuela have been frozen since July when Bogota said it would let the US army use its military bases for anti-drugs operations.

The agreement has caused alarm among some of Colombia’s neighbours, who object to an increased US military presence in the region.

When news of the deal first broke in August, Mr Chavez warned that “winds of war” were blowing across the continent.

Who knows why the bases in Japan, and in particular Okinawa are deemed necessary. What with the fire bombing of Tokyo and other cities, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the point might have been made, but I suppose people forget. If the Red Chinese Capitalists are not a threat, then perhaps the crazy North Koreans might be. While when Obama lands in Tokyo he might not get the welcome that Bush received in Buenos Aires, he may be reminded that hosting the US presence in Okinawa for over sixty years is getting bothersome to the locals. According to the BBC, the Americans cannot even accommodate the local people by moving to the base to reclaimed land where is it claimed by opponents to have a damaging effect on coral reefs. There were claims of 21,000 turning out to protest, and it just possible that the new Government is listening now to public opinion. The report notes that the American forces number 47,000 in Japan (able to be deployed to Afghanistan to meet McChystal’s request?). The BBC noted:

The local mayor called on new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama “to put an end to Okinawa’s burden and ordeal”.

If this goes on, it will become impossible to play the good guys against the posited bad guys, who at least in the crude popular imagination, are monolithic Islam, a myth on a par with monolithic Christianity (How do we reach out to Islam?). Anyway, as this narrative runs out of legs in both Japan and South America in the absence of the usual suspects.

There is always poor, suffering Afghanistan. You can see in retrospect the efficacy of the settling the tribes within the limes of the Empire as Rome was doing, rather than to attempt to mobilize conscript armies of foreigners. I suppose you cannot exchange land for guns, if the locals have the mistaken belief they own the land, and have done for generations against all comers. Chris Hedges reports on the permutations of control and command in Afghanistan.

And so it goes. Glory is just around the corner. Obama is on the plane with another inspiring speech, and popular acclaim. For the moment, as more momentous matters are to the fore, attention to the Global climate crisis can be averted

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