Who Will Watch the Watchers?
By DOUGLAS LUMMIS
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番人を見張るのはだれ?
番人を見張るのはだれ?
沖縄を守るという建て前で置かれた米軍基地は、
いつも住民の生活を脅かす存在だった。
これまで沖縄でさまざまな問題を起こしてきた
米兵たちは、緊張を強いられたサミットの後
その反動でさらにぶしつけにふるまうのではないか。
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Naha. "But who will watch
the watchers?" This simple,
ancient question goes
right to the heart of the
paradox of trying to
guarantee security through
force of arms. The questioner asks, "You say these soldiers are here to protect us.
But who will protect us
against the soldiers?"
The question applies well
to the situation in Okinawa.
The people of Okinawa have
no experience, no historical
memory, of any military organization ever contributing to their security. It is
said that when, in the 1870s,
the Tokyo government announced it was going to station troops in Okinawa, the
last Ryukyu king argued
that this would only bring war
to these peaceful islands. The
Tokyo government
scoffed, and built bases.
Of course it was
these bases that were the
"magnet" that brought in
the Steel Typhoon, the
terrible Battle of Okinawa, in which around a
quarter of the population
was killed. Notoriously,
many of those were killed by
Japanese soldiers, when they
got in the way.
From that day to this,
Okinawa has been the site
of huge U.S. military bases.
The presence of these bases
forced the people to be
involved (as base workers, etc.) in the Korean
War, the Vietnam War and
the Gulf War, wars that
had no connection with their
interests. And all during
the Cold War Okinawa
was a priority target
("magnet") for a Soviet nuclear attack. This is not despite the bases, but because of
them.
How about today? At the recent (June 29 -
July 2) Okinawa International Conference on People's
Security, an Okinawan asked
the delegate from China
an impolite question:
"You say the chances of war
between China and the United
States are small. But if such a
war starts, will Okinawa be
the target of a Chinese nuclear attack?"
The
Chinese delegate took a long
time to answer. The gist
of his answer was: "As I said
before, such a war is unlikely, so don't worry." In other words, "Yes."
Of
course. This is the "common sense" of military "security."
In the meantime, the Okinawan people
feel a direct threat to their
daily security from the
GIs. I am writing just before the Okinawa Summit
(though by the time you read
this the summit will be over). Almost every day
Okinawan newspapers have
front-page news about GI
misbehavior : angry Marines kicking taxis, drunk
drivers destroying property, hit-and-runaccidents,
and of course the famous case
of the drunk Marine who
broke into a family's
house and fondled the 14-
year-old daughter while she
slept.
The U.S. military
is desperately trying to
prevent any more big incidents "before the summit."
The discipline/oppression
on the bases is fierce.Undoubtedly it is having a
reverse effect as well,
causing frustration and resentment among the GIs.
What will happen next (in
particular, after the summit
is over)? No one knows. But
anyone who tries to persuade an Okinawan that the
U.S. troops are here to protect
their security is likely to be
met with a blank
stare.
Shukan ST: July 28, 2000
(C) All rights reserved
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