> problems. EC/Japan is not "acting independently" of the US; rather they
> complement Washington's role, doing Washington's work for it while freeing
> the shogunal overlord to focus on its global military duties.
Think like the Vietcong: if you want to control a borderzone, you don't wave the NLF flag during the day, you control the shipping routes by night. The EU and East Asia aren't forking over huge reparations for the benefits of the US military umbrella; instead, they're loaning 2 trillion EUR to the Americans, and setting up R & D, supply and technology chains which will make the timely repayment on that debt compulsory. In nine months, the euro will arrive and put the lockdown on Bananamerica. Tomorrow's metropoles are today.
-- Dennis