The Debate on British Troops in Afghanistan

Britain is considering a surge in Afghanistan to defeat Taliban and Al Qaeda guerrillas. Throughout the postwar period, Britain has been pursuing the policy of “punch above its weight” to maintain the position as one of influential powers, while struggling with shortage of military budget and manpower. In Afghanistan, British ground forces face insufficient support from the air, and they are much more disadvantaged to engage in counterterrorist operations than American forces. Prime Minister Gordon Brown decided to send withdrawn troops from Iraq to Afghanistan to defeat insurgents. This strategy has been considered since the Blair era, and now, security in Iraq has improved while things in Afghanistan is evolving increasing serious.

In view of the rise of casualties among British soldiers, Army General Sir Richard Dannatt requested more troops and equipments in Afghanistan (“Troops need more, says Army head”; BBC News; 17 July 2009). At the Westminster parliament, Conservative leader David Cameron asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown to clarify the objective of the war in Afghanistan, in order to maintain public support for it. Also, Cameron expressed serious concern with helicopter shortage, and criticized defense policy of the Brown cabinet (“PM challenged over Afghanistan”; BBC News; 16 July 2009).

The controversy on the Afghan mission is getting increasingly intensified among the public. The Conservative Party urged to send more British troops in Afghanistan in order to speed up trainings for Afghan armed forces and the police (“Conservatives to increase British troop levels in Afghanistan, David Cameron hints”; Daily Telegraph; 3 August 2009). After talks between Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, General Stanley McChrystal of the US Army said Britain would send additional 2,000 soldiers (“Britain to send 2,000 extra troops to help train Afghans”; Times; 2 August 2009).

Britain must resolve equipments and manpower problems, while maintaining global commitment. As shown in the table below, Britain shares disproportionately great burden in the Afghan mission.




Source: Economist


Currently, the British public is supportive of the mission in Afghanistan, as Britain takes pride in its military success. However, both hawkish Tory and dovish Liberal Democrat are critical to strategic troubles of the current administration. Particularly, helicopter shortage is so serious that the out-going head of British army General Dannatt needs to use an American one. The incoming head, General Sir David Richards, mentions contending viewpoints in British defense policy. British generals complain that White Hall policymakers give preference to big arsenals such as strategic nuclear weapons and war ships, but do not give sufficient consideration to land battles against insurgents (“British forces in Afghanistan: And the soldier home from the hill”; Economist; 16 July 2009). Labour MP Mike Gapes, who led to release a report by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, criticized high casualty rate of British troops, and administrative sectionalism among the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Department of International Development. Furthermore, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague questioned who was in charge of the war in the cabinet (“Tell us why we're in Afghanistan, MPs say”; Times; 3 August 2009).

General Sir Mike Jackson told that structural reform of the Ministry of Defence was necessary to follow the recommendation in the House report led by Gapes, in order to focus on tightly defined strategic objectives. Current operations include counternarcotics missions as well as defeating insurgents (“UK troops 'given too many tasks'”; BBC News; 2 August 2009). If the allied forces were to focus on definite objectives, rapid trainings for Afghan security forces are required.

The Afghan problem is strongly related to British foreign and defense policy across the globe. Prior to the Falkland War, admirals of the Royal Navy objected to sacrificing aircraft carriers for the sake of Trident SLBMs. After the war, Prime Minister-then Margaret Thatcher decided to maintain carrier squadrons. Here again, Britain faces a dilemma between managing resource problems and maintaining global military presence.

Paul Cornish, Head of the International Security Programme, and Andrew Dorman, Associate Fellow, both at the Royal Institute for International Affairs, explore British defense policy. In 1998, the government released “The Strategic Defence Review (SDR)” to define British defense objectives: commitment to Europe, partnership with the United States, securing British economic interests, and defending British freedom. In order to fulfill the above aims, “After all, a careful strategic assessment might well reveal that the United Kingdom will need aircraft carriers and fast attack aircraft as well as ‘men on the ground’ .“ Cornish and Dorman proposes to withdraw troops from Germany and possess fewer types of fighters for maximum availability, thereby transform personnel and equipments more effective and cost-efficient (”National Defence in the Age of Austerity”; International Affairs; April 2009).

Finally I would like to mention an article on Afghanistan by Sir Adam Roberts, President of the British Academy and Professor at Oxford University. In a periodical published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Sir Adam comments that British and American forces have much lessons to learn from past counter insurgent operations, and foreign troops should not behave as eternal occupiers (“Doctrine and Reality in Afghanistan”; Survival; February 2009).

Policy discussions on Britain’s involvement in Afghanistan have profound implications to other US allies. Within limited resource, free nations need to explore maximum contributions to global security and defend their own sovereign interests. Some allies like Japan have mush to lean from British experience, in order to pursue greater presence in global politics and strengthen alliance with the United States.

Three Minutes of Jaw Dropping Imagination: "Civilization"

Marco Brambilla should do a past life regression. He might discover he was once Hieronymus Bosch (1453-1516), known to the Spanish as El Bosco. To prove my point, I submit for your edification, this unbelievable video, "Civilization," which reminds me of the triptych, The Garden of Earthly Delights at the Prado in Madrid.

Watch this video full screen if at all possible!

Civilization, a video mural created for the new Standard hotel in New York City, depicts a journey from hell to heaven interpreted through modern film language using computer-enhanced found footage. This epic video mural contains over 300 individual channels of looped video blended into a multi-layered seamless tableau of interconnecting images that illustrate a contemporary, satirical take on the concepts of Heaven and Hell.

Of course, picking The Rite of Spring: Ritual of the Ancients by Stravinsky puts it over the top. Look for the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man and Michael Jackson entering Heaven.

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Open to All: $15 Rush Ticketsat Williamstown Theatre Festival

For the first time in recent Berkshire memory, Rush Tickets are being made available to the general public by the Williamstown Theatre Festival . The sharply discounted tickets, priced at $15, are available to all - not just students, youth or seniors. This is an extraordinary move that can only help expand audiences for WTF in an economy where ticket buyers are watching their entertainment dollars more closely than ever.

“We believe strongly in the value of what we provide to our audiences. Now, more than ever, we want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to experience the magic of Williamstown Theatre Festival’s productions,” Board President Matt Harris said in announcing the news.

The hilarious 1920's spoof The Torch Bearers has audiences howling at the Williamstown Main Stage through August 9. T. Charles Erickson Photos.

OTHER THEATRES, OTHER DISCOUNTS

This program is in addition to another discount program where buyers can get $10 off mainstage tickets by presenting stubs from another theatre company. There are also four half price ticket booths in Adams, Pittsfield, Great Barrington and Chatham, New York for day of performance tickets not only for theatre, but for dance and other events in the Berkshires and adjacent New York State.

A "mysterious presence" takes up residence at the Nikos Stage from August 5-16 is the wry new comedy Caroline in Jersey which features Lea Thompson and Matt McGrath as best friends in the play.
DETAILS: The rush ticket policy applies to both Main and Nikos Stage shows. You can now purchase rush tickets, based on availability, starting at 4pm until the curtain goes up at 8 pm, 8:30 pm on Saturdays. for all same-day evening performances. The $15 tickets - surprisingly - are even available by phone at 413.597.3400 or in person at 1000 Main Street in Williamstown. Beyond availability, there are some obvious restrictions: the discount cannot be applied to previously purchased tickets and cannot be combined with any other offer. Tickets are subject to availability and are only valid for same day performances. Limit 2 per person. Williamstown seating charts, ticket information

ACCJ Meeting on Japanese Election

As Prime Minister Taro Aso has dissolved the Diet on July 21, the Government Relations Committee of the American Chambers of Commerce in Japan hosted a forum on Japanese General Election to be held on August 30. The meeting which was held on July 22, focused on the impact of this election on lobbying processes.

The most critical point is how to secure lobbying links which was built through long time efforts. ACCJ and American businesses have been exploring to expand policymaking network into Japanese diet, bureaucracy, and business. It is vital to find a right person for lobbying activities, according to the agenda. Once finding right contacts among Japanese leaders, American lobbying groups provide “education” for policymaking.

Most attendants expressed serious concern that possible victory of Japanese Democrats will destroy the lobbying link, and American businesses need to spend much time to find right lawmakers and “educate” them. Though one attendant insisted that the Democratic Party was realist enough to maintain close US-Japanese alliance, American lobbyists were worried that they would have to deal with the sheer number of newcomers who did not know sufficiently about critical policy agendas. Quite interestingly, attendants at the forum were not obsessed with Karel van Wolferen’s strong antagonism to Japanese establishments and the system. As opposed to Wolferen, they regard Japanese bureaucrats as reliable partners, rather than unaccountable and arrogant elitists. In other words, they are very realists to make use of established Japanese policymaking processes. American lobbyists in Tokyo are completely different from some idealistic policymakers in Washington, whether positively or negatively.

During the discussion, a similar change in the past had come up to my mind. In 1993, Morihiro Hosokawa was elected as the Prime Minister to put an end to single party dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party since 1955. I asked one lawyer who has been in close contact with Japanese politics whether American lobbyists learned some lessons from past experience under the Hosokawa administration. He replied that Democrat newcomers would be so incompetent that he would only have to wait until the return of the LDP.

Unlike Bill Clinton who assumed US presidency during the Hosokawa era, current President Barack Obama is reluctant to impose American idealism on Japanese bureaucrats. He is even willing to talk with America’s enemies. Judging from his attitude to Iran, Honduras, and Russia, Obama shall never dream of Clintonian intervention to crack down “notorious” Japanese bureaucrats. Furthermore, he is too shy to address American or Western idealism in his diplomacy. Therefore, both Washington policymakers and Tokyo lobbyists will take substantially different approaches to the post election administration of Japan from those taken under the Clinton administration, whether they learn some lessons from the Hosokawa change or not.

The Government Relations Committee Meeting is an invaluable opportunity to understand US-Japanese political interactions. Committee members are directly involved in Japanese politics to pursue their business interest. Some agendas discussed at the meeting are more vivid than those talked at the forum of Washington think tanks. Policy experts in Washington do not have to care about day-to-day profits. I had good experience to attend conferences by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Woodrow Wilson Center, in the past. A combination of non-profit academic approaches and business oriented approaches will be of much help to understand American foreign policy and US-Japanese relations.


Special thanks:
ACCJ Government Relations Committee


Note: This post does not entirely reflect the viewpoint of the American Chambers of Commerce, and the contributor is responsible for everything written here.

ACCJ Event on Japanese National Security

The Aerospace & Defense Committee of the American Chambers of Japan hosted a forum on Japanese defense policy on June 24, and members of the Aero-Defense and the Government Relations committees were invited. The guest speaker was Hiroshi Imazu, Member of the House of Representative, Liberal Democratic Party. Mr. Imazu has been engaged in Japanese defense policy ever since he won a national diet seat. Mr. Shigenobu Tamura, Chief Policy Researcher of the Liberal Democratic Party, sat beside Representative Imazu. Mr. Tamura is a mentor to my Japanese language blog friend Dr. Cat a.k.a. Koshu Takamine.

The ACCJ hosts numerous events to exchange viewpoints on social, economic, and political issues. However, since the Chamber is a businessmen organization, most of the events are held in well known hotels. Fortunately, this was a small scale forum held at the ACCJ’s board room, and it was not so expensive. Considering my interest, it was a quite attractive opportunity.

There are various fields of committees at the ACCJ, and I belong to the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and the Governmental Relations committees. The atmosphere differs from one committee to another. The CSR Committee is relatively young, and somewhat like an enthusiastic college student circle for global friendship and public interest. On the other hand, the Government Relations Committee and the Aerospace & Defense Committee are extremely professional. Most of the members at both committees are experienced senior executives of renowned companies.

The Aerospace & Defense Committee is a closed membership club, and everything spoken at the meeting is completely confidential. According to Mr. Jean-Pierre Bolat, Chairman of the Aerospace & Defense Committee, this is because mutual trust between the guest and the committee is vital for policy discussion with Japanese leaders. There are numerous issues extremely sensitive to publicize in defense policy and inside stories of political corridors, and I understand it.

The lecture by Mr. Imazu was very helpful to understand Japan’s defense policymaking process. Contrary to popularly believed, LDP policy team plays no less important role than supposed to be the best and the brightest bureaucrats.

At the Q & A session, I was impressed with questions by attendants. Every piece of word spoken in Japanese suggests their involvement in Japanese political corridors. Diet man Imazu replied to questions by attendants including me very sincerely. It was a great meeting, and I hope that I will be able to see participants and guest speakers on another occasion.


Special thanks to:
The Honorable, Member of the House of Representatives, Hiroshi Imazu
Mr. Shigeo Tamura, Chief Policy Researcher, Liberal Democratic Party
ACCJ Aerospace & Defense Committee

Berkshire Theaters Collaborate on Discount Tickets

For those on a budget there are many ways to save on theater tickets. You can volunteer to be an usher, or man the snack stand in exchange for free admission. You can check out the availability of half price tickets at any of four locations of the Berkshire Half Tix Program.

And now, the four major companies have launched a scheme where you can get $10 off a ticket purchase for their main stage productions.

Othello stars the brilliant John Douglas Thompson at Shakespare & Company until September 6. Kevin Sprague Photo.
Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Shakespeare & Company, and Williamstown Theatre Festival are excited to announce a collaborative effort to provide more affordable theater opportunities for residents of and visitors to Berkshire County. While all four theaters currently have a variety of ticket options designed to make performances more affordable—from special discounts for County residents to rush tickets—the foursome saw an opportunity to collaborate as a group in an effort to provide even greater accessibility.

Prisoner of Second Avenue at Berkshire Theatre Festival until August 8
For the 2009 summer season, the four theaters are launching a ticket stub discount program to kick off the collaboration. All four theaters will offer discounted tickets to provide greater accessibility to theatre goers and to encourage patrons to attend productions at multiple venues. Patrons simply purchase a full price main stage ticket at any participating organization and retain their ticket stub. They may then turn in that ticket stub at any participating organization’s box office within two weeks of the performance date noted on the stub to receive $10 off the purchase of a full-price main stage ticket at that participating organization. That second stub may then be used within two weeks of its performance date to receive $10 off the purchase of yet another full-price main stage ticket at another participating theatre. The offer is valid for all main stage events at the four theaters, with the exception of one-time special events. Tickets may be purchased over the phone or in-person at each theater’s box office.

Jeremy Bobb (l) and Charles Shaughnessy (r) keep audiences on the edge of their seats in Sleuth playing Barrington Stage until August 1. Kevin Sprague Photo.
The four theaters were a natural fit for a collaborative effort—all four are producing theaters with full summer seasons of ongoing programming, and each provides educational and training programs. Additionally, all four theaters have similar ticket prices, making a joint ticket offer, such as the ticket stub discount, an easy program to implement.

True West with Paul Sparks (l) and Nate Corddry (r) at Williamstown Theatre Festival until July 26. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
The ticket stub discount program is just the first initiative of the collaboration, with plans for future initiatives already underway. The group intends to not only provide increased opportunities for patrons to see theater at an affordable price, but to work together to create greater visibility for the outstanding theater produced here in the Berkshires. The ticket stub discount program will launch on Monday, July 13th and will run through September 5 (noting that WTF season ends on August 23, and BSC and BTF’s seasons end on August 29).
Box Offices:

Barrington Stage Company: (413) 236-8888; www.barringtonstageco.org

Berkshire Theatre Festival: (413) 298-5576; www.berkshiretheatre.org

Shakespeare & Company: (413) 637-3353; www.shakespeare.org

Williamstown Theatre Festival: (413) 597-3400; www.wtfestival.org