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「ワシントン（米政府）の一部は、日本の新政権に対して強硬な姿勢をとりたがっているが、思慮が足りない」

「個別の問題よりも大きな同盟」

「我々には、もっと忍耐づよく、戦略的な交渉が必要だ。（普天間のような）二次的な問題のせいで、東アジアの長期的な戦略を脅かしてしまっている」

　東アジアの安全を守る最善の方法は、「日本の手厚い支援に支えられた米軍駐留の維持」だと強調。「外圧」によって鳩山政権を切り捨てれば、普天間問題で主張を通せても、より大きな犠牲を払うことになる、とした。

An Alliance Larger Than One Issue - NYTimes.com

When I helped to develop the Pentagon’s East Asian Strategy Report in 1995, we started with the reality that there were three major powers in the region — the United States, Japan and China — and that maintaining our alliance with Japan would shape the environment into which China was emerging. We wanted to integrate China into the international system by, say, inviting it to join the World Trade Organization, but we needed to hedge against the danger that a future and stronger China might turn aggressive.

After a year and a half of extensive negotiations, the United States and Japan agreed that our alliance, rather than representing a cold war relic, was the basis for stability and prosperity in the region. President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto affirmed that in their 1996 Tokyo declaration. This strategy of “integrate, but hedge” continued to guide American foreign policy through the years of the Bush administration.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the United States-Japan security treaty. The two countries will miss a major opportunity if they let the base controversy lead to bitter feelings or the further reduction of American forces in Japan. The best guarantee of security in a region where China remains a long-term challenge and a nuclear North Korea poses a clear threat remains the presence of American troops, which Japan helps to maintain with generous host nation support.

そのことを頭に入れたうえで、本日、時事通信が流した次の記事を読むと、受け取る印象はかなり違ってくるはずだ。

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/d1021/20100107#1262821592