@JRubinBlogger In the delusional world of @potus USA is getting ripped off by our allies, who don’t pay us protection money and who have never been asked to contribute (paraphrasing, and giving him credit for more coherence than he showed tonight on the issue).
Reality is quite different.
Reality is quite different.
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS Japan and ROK not only spend billions on their own defense (buying almost all of their advanced weapons from us for cash), but also provide very generous “host nation support.” This means the facilities/bases/housing enjoyed by our troops are overwhelmingly paid for by Japan/ROK.
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS In fact - host nation support is so generous, that it would cost us $ billions/year to bring the troops home and base them here. And of course we would also leave our allies and ourselves more vulnerable in the process.
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS And let’s be clear - these are valuable allies. Japanese vessels have provided years of logisitics support for far-flung US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and have generously supported peacekeeping operations with cash, troops, and material. Japan Navy also patrols the Pacific.
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS ROK has fought and died with US in every war since the Korean War. Two divisions - White Horse and Tiger - were among the most effective and courageous to fight and die in Vietnam. 2nd ID motto “Kapchi Kapshida” means “we go together.” It is more than just a slogan - it is fact.
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS So it is not just wrong, ignorant, and delusional for Trump to talk about US subsidizing the defense of Korea and Japan (when in fact they subsidize OUR forward deployment), it is also deeply insulting, rude, and arrogant.
Our Asian allies are too polite to call BS on Trump....
Our Asian allies are too polite to call BS on Trump....
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS In fact - they have bent over backwards to express their appreciation for the alliances that have served all three nations well for nearly 70 years.
So let me say this on their behalf:
Mr. President - we have no better friends in the world than our Japanese and Korea allies.
So let me say this on their behalf:
Mr. President - we have no better friends in the world than our Japanese and Korea allies.
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS They are equal in stature, commitment, courage to our brave NATO allies (including our northern neighbor) and our mates in Southern Hemosphere, Australia and New Zealand.
Allies are to be cherished, not derided. Alliances are like good friendships - they grow in value over time.
Allies are to be cherished, not derided. Alliances are like good friendships - they grow in value over time.
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS And perhaps therein lies the rub Mr.President. Friendships, like marriages, require empathy and commitment. They need to be nurtured. Selfishness and neglect undermine them. Alliances are no different. Absent empathy, commitment, nourishment, our alliances will wither and die.
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS Mr. President - you have not proven to be a very skilled gardener. You seem only interested in picking fruit, and not in weeding, watering, pruning, nurturing. Your one strong suit - producing a copious volume of fertilizer - is of no use because you pile it too high and too deep
@JRubinBlogger @POTUS As Chauncey Gardener might say, i hope the roots of our Asian alliances can survive the drought of your administration. Maybe there can be renewal and growth in the spring. If so, credit will go to the gardeners at State and DOD who are doing their best to clean up after you.
