Japan's Hatoyama resigns. Was it Obama's fault.
There's been no shortage of tedious commentary driving home the narrative about how the Obama administration is tougher on America's allies than on America's enemies. But in the case of Japan, I think it's pretty clear the administration put an ally in an impossible situation. Japan's Prime Minister won office in large measure because of a pledge to renegotiate a deal over a U.S. airbase in Okinawa. Rather than try to work with its fellow democratic ally, the U.S. insisted that a deal was a deal and even launched a rather obnoxious PR campaign implying that the Japanese were too short-sighted to understand what was in their own best interest.
It appears Hatoyama didn't have much room to maneuver and so he relented on the base, betrayed a campaign promise, and is now resigning in disgrace. It's not solely due to the basing issue, of course, but it surely was the most dramatic of Hatoyama's problems.
Japan hasn't figured much in the usual indictment of the Obama administration's treatment of allies because when push comes to shove, these critics tend to value the entrenchment of American military power over respect for (and fidelity to) American democratic values. Something to keep in mind the next time someone bleats about Obama selling out on human rights.
(AP Photo)
