Japan wants out of Afghanistan...and the vote proves it

Thursday is the day. The day that Japan officially quits their participation in the 'war of terror' in Afghanistan. Japanese lawmakers, in both houses of Parliament, have REFUSED to support their continued refueling 'mission' in the Indian Ocean.

According to Channel Asia News,

Japan's role in the U.S. led fight against terrorism in Afghanistan ends on Thursday, as Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has failed to get the support of both houses of parliament to extend the refuelling mission in the Indian Ocean.
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Japanese maritime forces have been part of the US-led anti-terror campaign for the past six years.

The move is exacerbated by the consistent pressure placed upon Japan's 'role' in the war of terror.

11 countries which have benefited from Japan's services are urging Japanese parliamentarians to reconsider their decision.

And how could the Japanese PM, Fukuda, reverse the decision of "both houses of Parliament?" Easy...dissolve the Lower House of Parliament and hope for a better outcome,

Some analysts said one option the prime minister has is for him to dissolve the Lower House and call for snap general elections.

Political commentator Minoru Morita said: "The most rational solution would be to dissolve the Lower House and hold elections to let voters decide whether they support the issue. The ruling party will have to consider whether it'll have an advantage if it holds elections now.
"However, if it refuses to do so, its decision will be contrary to popular opinion. So I think general elections will be held next spring, and this issue will be resolved soon after that."

There's also speculation that Mr Fukuda and Mr Ozawa may reach a deal for their parties to form a coalition, in exchange for the opposition camp's support of the refuelling mission.

Sorry, Mr. Fukuda...the representatives of the PEOPLE have spoken. The Japanese populace want out of the 'mission'. We can only hope that the representatives of, We the People, do the same here in the U.S. End this awful WAR. Speak for the majority..not the minority. We want out, too.

Return Democracy back to the People!

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Top UK officials declare Afghanistan LOST.."only political option remains"

On Thursday, Sir Eric "Jock" Stirrup, Chief of the Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal of the British Armed Forces and former UK United Nations High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, claimed there is no military solution in Afghanistan and a new strategy must be employed save her. They claim only political means can change Afghanistan's destiny, not military means.

"There is a common misperception that the issues in Afghanistan, and indeed elsewhere around the world, can be dealt with by military means. That's a false perception." Sir Jock
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"The military is a key, an essential element in dealing with those problems, but by and large these problems can only be resolved politically." telegraph

Lord Ashdown was a little more blunt with his statements,

Nato has "lost in Afghanistan" and its failure to bring stability there could provoke a regional sectarian war "on a grand scale"
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"We have lost, I think, and success is now unlikely...I believe losing in Afghanistan is worse than losing in Iraq. It will mean that Pakistan will fall and it will have serious implications internally for the security of our own countries and will instigate a wider Shiite [Shia], Sunni regional war on a grand scale.
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"Some people refer to the First and Second World Wars as European civil wars and I think a similar regional civil war could be initiated by this [failure] to match this magnitude."

It's about time someone smartens up. Sir Jock went on about not "staying the course"...

there was a need to talk to people who "may well have been Taliban in the past. I don't think we should focus too much on what people were in the past,"
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"I don't think that we should provide a rigid framework that dictates to people how they should express their appreciating," he said.

"I think what we should do is encourage people to express their appreciation but to develop their own means of that expression."

Good job, UK. Someone needs to break away from "staying the course". We need a 'new' mission, a 'new' strategy and yes...if we "stay the course", we have LOST. Continually bombing will not solve anything. Gaining peace in the skies offers no peace on the ground. Giving the Colony of Iraq and Afghanistan their sovereignty might.

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Marine Corps wants OUT of Iraq and into Afghanistan

Is it possible for the United States Army to fight one war and the Marine corps another? Well..that's what just might occur. In a closed door session last week of the Defense Senior Leadership Conference, Defense Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and their "regional war fighting commanders" began reviewing Marine Corps commandant General James T. Conway's proposal to shift the Marines out of Iraq and into Afghanistan.

The idea by the Marine Corps commandant would effectively leave the Iraq war in the hands of the army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall NATO command.
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It is not clear exactly how many of the marines in Iraq would be moved over. But the plan would require a major reshuffling, and it would make marines the dominant American force in Afghanistan
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a realignment could allow the army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces. iht

So..in essence the Marines are saying "get US out of here, we want our own battlefield". The realignment could face some problems, though. The Air Force might not want the Marines in Afghanistan because they might see their air power role diminished within the region.

Unlike the army, the Marines would bring a significant force of combat aircraft to that conflict.
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it would allow the Marines to carry out the Afghan mission in a way the army cannot, by deploying as an integrated Marine Corps task force that included combat aircraft as well as infantry and armored vehicles, while the army must rely on the Air Force. iht

Ugh...are we beginning to see the fight between the military services for future budgets? A turf war? After all,the Pentagon just received $190 billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan while in turn increasing the over all Pentagon budget to $459 billion. No doubt each of the military branches want their "fair" share of that money.

Military officials say the Marine proposal is also an early indication of jockeying among the four armed services for a place in combat missions in years to come. "At the end of the day, this could be decided by parochialism, and making sure each service does not lose equity, as much as on how best to manage the risk of force levels for Iraq and Afghanistan," said one Pentagon planner. iht

..and people say Iraq isn't another Vietnam...it sure feels like it.

Related posts:

Stranded US soldiers Call the Marines to rescue them from Iraq
It's Official.. Petraeus is marching US towards war with Iran
Defense Department 'misplaced' 2.3 Trillion dollars

Same Players. Different Scandal.