Two short answer comments to a posting - Essay Example

Question This issue has the potential to explode into an international incident. Though the promise was made by Mr. Hatoyama that the base will be removed, the American government has, in essence, “forced” the base to remain in Okinawa. Though Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, has stated explicitly that this issue will not undermine the “rock-solid 50 year alliance”, by forcing the Japanese to keep the base open, the government has stated that it will not respect the wishes of, first and foremost, the Japanese people, and secondly the wishes of its government that the United States leave a place it is not welcome.

The Japanese people have expressed their wishes for the removal of the base in an outward manner, organizing a protest that led to an estimated 17,000-person ‘human chain’ around the base to protest its lack of closure, as well as the noise and the presence of American armed forces in their homeland. Also at issue is Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, written in post-World War II, which states that Japan will never again have land, sea, or air forces, or allow them to be formed. According to the Japanese people, this makes Japan incapable of defending itself and forces them to rely on other means such as the US Armed Forces, hence the issue leading back to the air base and its closure.

Though it has been stated that these issues will not cause further problems or lead to bigger issues or friction between the two countries, this incident has the potential to develop into an international incident that could lead to a serious breakdown in relations between the two countries. Sources: Hayashi, Yuka. “U.S. Told Okinawa Base Plan Impossible”. Asia News, March 31, 2010. Accessed February 10, 2011. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303601504575153270328550814. html?

mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_world. Mass, Warren. “Controversy over U.S. Base in Okinawa”. The New American, May 21, 2010. Accessed February 10, 2011. http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/foreign-policy/3595-controversy-over-us-base-in-okinawa. Question 2: There is no question that the losses at the Battle of Stalingrad were costly to the German Army, as an entire army had been decimated. This left them depleted for the further Battle of Kursk, which was (at the time) the largest armored engagement, as well as the most costly single day of aerial warfare in history.

Though the German Army personnel had superior training, none of the divisions were allowed to use said training, thus leading to a slow, eventual breakdown of the army from within. A tactic the German Army could have used instead would have been could to wait for the battle to come to them in a place of their choosing. It has been stated that every town was turned into a fortress; however, if the Germans had waited, instead of attacking head-on and in towns or villages, and allowed the battles to come to them in open areas, their superior training and finesse would have shown through, while also stalling the Soviet Offensive.

It would have definitely given an opportunity for the German Army to entrench in a defensive position and still satisfy Hitler’s obsession with not giving up any ground, as by the time the battle came to them, they would have made sufficient headway in setting up a defense for their position. By taking the lands outside the towns, then moving into the towns with a fraction of the troops while some maintained a defensive perimeter around the town, it would have been possible to slow down the defeat of the German Army as well as stall the Soviet Offensive by keeping the fighting in one place, day after day, with a good defensive position.

Though the defeat was inevitable and the war was coming to an end, by strengthening a defensive position against untrained, untested troops, the superior training of the German Army would have been allowed to be used. Source: “The Battle of Kursk – Definition”. Word IQ. Accessed February 11, 2010. http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Battle_of_Kursk.