The Ultimate Occupation Failure: II

The occupations we choose to focus on in the U.S. are the successful post-World War II operations in Germany and Japan. The problem with using Germany and Japan as models for Iraq is that they have exactly nothing to do with one another. We like our popular myth of exporting democracy and our images of G.I. Joes giving out smiles, Hershey bars and Lucky Strikes. It’s a Norman Rockwell image we are all comfortable with. The reality, however, is that the governing elites in Germany and Japan were happy to do all that the U.S. asked if they could be spared the profoundest fear they had—communist take-over. Fear of communism played a large part in the growth of militarism in both countries and was one of the major reasons for the war. It was out of fear of communist take-over that General Macarthur allowed Hirohito (who should have been executed as a war criminal) to maintain his empire—even if in a figure head role. With the cooperation of Germany and Japan, both nations became permanent bases of U.S. military power. The Japanese island of Okinawa is still a base for nearly 40,000 U.S. service personnel and the Japanese government "happily" foots the bill.