Powell: US military presence needed in Asia

US Secretary of State Colin Powell declared on Monday that the USA must keep up a military presence in Asia and to maintain its alliances in the region, in a speech delivered to the United States-Asia Society in new York.

In his speech, he declared that social and political freedom is the only source of national greatness and for this reason, the United States should keep its military forces in the region to guarantee this freedom. Predictably mentioning North Korea, accusing Pyongyang of holding its people under “oppression”, Colin Powell stated that some nations are afraid of freedom, while others strive to control its progress.

Colin Powell added that it was the presence of US troops which helped South Korea and Japan to develop while these countries reduced their own defence budget and concentrated on economic growth. He declared that this presence was fundamental for the post-war growth rate of Asia: “Until today, the stability of Asia depends on our key alliances with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Australia”, he said.

Regarding China, the US Secretary of State asked the government in Peking to recognise that economic growth will bring more demands for increased political freedom and requested that these should not be ignored. “The Chinese people want what everyone else wants: respect for their basic human rights”.

It would be pertinent to point out that as the US military machine spreads itself around the globe, justifying its presence by tenuous claims to be protecting freedom and individual rights in foreign sovereign states, the tentacles of the US economic octopus spread out and dig in, taking positions which are impossible to dislodge, as the financial institutions gradually control the economies of the countries their country is supposed to be “protecting”.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru