How Long Should U.S. Troops Stay in Korea?

[Brad De Long]

>Brad DeLong wrote:
>	----------
>
>	Surely U.S. forces are worth maintaining in South Korea as long as
>	North Korea is ruled by, in Eric Hobsbawm's phrase, "totalitarian
>	megalomaniacs"?
>
>	Defense Secretary William Cohen announced in 1998 that the US
>intends to keep its soldiers on the Korean peninsula after any
>reunification. What do you think his motive is, Brad?
>
>	Seth

I would hope that our forces would stay as long as a 
democratically-elected Korean government wishes them to stay...

I think the case for keeping troops to deter North Korea is 
overwhelming. If South Korea were still a military dictatorship, then 
I would think that after the fall of North Korea's government the 
U.S. should get its troops out: it's not worth annoying the Chinese 
army.

But South Korea is (and Taiwan is!) now political democracies. And 
the principle that democracies should be defended against attacks 
from non-democracies is a very attractive one...

Brad DeLong