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How is President Obama going to change the direction of U.S. policies?

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

Amidst the unprecedented political and economic crises, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African-American president of the United States.

The global tasks, including the elimination of nuclear weapons, the prevention of global warming, and eradicating terrorism as well as poverty and injustice that nurture acts of terrorism, cannot be resolved without broad international cooperation. What has obstructed such effort is the one-nation hegemony of the former Bush administration that tried to force the world to accept U.S. positions even if it meant disregarding the United Nations Charter. Expectations that President Obama will abandon his predecessor's policies are growing.

President Obama stated, "Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred."

David Miliband, the foreign secretary of Great Britain has recently criticized the concept of a "war on terrorism." The Afghan situation testifies to the fact that the military option cannot end terrorism. If the United States persists in the military-first policy, it will only be an obstacle to international cooperative efforts, which the new era is calling for.

Obama's inaugural address made no reference to the relation between Japan and the United States. However, if the Obama administration is earnest in promoting genuine international cooperation, it would be inevitable for Japan-U.S. relations to move away from its relationship based on dependence and control, and terminate the U.S. military relocation plans and the sending of Self-Defense Forces abroad.

Prime Minister Aso Taro says Japan and the United States remain allies that share universal interests as well as strategic interests, and expressed his determination to strengthen the alliance. The Liberal Democratic and Komei government's obsession with strengthened Japan-U.S. ties will turn Japan into an anachronism.

- Akahata, January 22, 2009
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