The juxtaposition couldn't have been more striking. On the web page of the Stars and Stripes (www.stripes.com), the "U.S. military's independent news source," was a story on April 4 about the very last United States main battle tanks being withdrawn from Germany. They'd been there for 69 years, initially to conquer the Nazis, then to keep the Russians from rolling across Checkpoint Charlie and starting World War III.On the same page, there were clouds gathering for perhaps another war, a restart of one of a similar vintage - one on the Korean Peninsula. There, American tanks are still staring across a Cold War demilitarized zone, with a supposedly agitated enemy poised to strike at any time.In Germany, the Stars and Stripes noted, "The departure of the last M-1 Abrams tanks coincides with the inactivation of two of the Army's Germany-based heavy brigades. Last year, the 170th Infantry out of Baumholder disbanded. And the 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade at Grafenwöhr is in the process of doing the same."On March 18, the remaining tanks were loaded up at the 21st Theater Sustainment Command's railhead in Kaiserslautern where they then made the journey to the shipping port in Bremerhaven, Germany. There they boarded a ship bound for South Carolina."During the same week, there has been controversy in Berlin about the removal of one of the last remnants of the Berlin Wall.In the following days, a headline on the same website noted, "U.S., South Korea preparing for North provocations."It has been 60 years since the armistice, and still the North is blustering for war.In recent weeks, the Americans have flown nuclear-capable B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers and B-2 Spirit stealth bombers really close to North Korea in yet another round of sabre-rattling. Armed with nuclear cruise missiles, a few flights of B-52s and B-2s could obliterate nearly every living thing north of the 38th parallel. The glowing fallout wouldn't be very kind to South Korea or Japan, but there would be nothing left of North Korea to threaten the rest of the world.It's hard to imagine that the leftover business from a war in the '50s is still, to this day, leading possibly more conflict.Why don't the Koreans look across the line and see what they're missing? South Korea is now one of the most modern, sophisticated nations in the world. Its banner corporation, Samsung, is one of the most powerful entities in the business world, making everything from massive ships to LED TVs and dishwashers. It's clear that the Korean people can do great things, and even surpass much of the world, if just given a chance.East Germans realized this. That's why their communist government had to build a wall to keep the population from running away to the west. Once that wall came down, Germany grew to become arguably the most important economy in Europe. Right now, it is the rock upon which the entire European economy is built, backstopping poor governance and budgetary practices for the entire continent.If only the North Koreans could open up in the way the East Germans did. There could be celebration of reunification, not threats of nuclear holocaust.One American commentator pointed out that diplomats should be making it very clear to China that if the North Koreans do start something, the Americans will not stop until they have finished the job. At that point there will be nothing left of the North Korean regime. Presumably, the cinder of what is left could then be left to South Korea under the auspices of unification.The implication here is that China, which is really the only country to backstop the North, should keep its nose out of it. Since the U.S. and Chinese economies are so irrevocably linked (China holds a huge portion of American debt), war seems unlikely. Nations that trade together tend not to shoot at each other. Let's hope those ships loaded with American tanks can go home. If things keep going the way they are, we could see them travelling around the world to offload their cargo at Seoul, instead. Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at [email protected]
