READ THIS AND BE ENLIGHTENED!

The plot just thickened. If you have been reading my posts under the Chickenhawk soup label you'll know that Japan has been recently making some provocative moves towards China concerning the maritime boundary of the hydrocarbon rich East China Sea. I have speculated that the Bush administration was probably behind the sophomoric foreign policy approach as it has CHICKENHAWK written all over it. What I couldn't understand is what motivation Japan would have to go along with such a self-defeating policy but that has now been cleared up thanks to an article in Forbes.com (SEE STORY HERE) revealing Indonesia's plan to cut natural gas exports to Japan by 75% once their current contract runs out in 2011.
So desperate times call for desperate measures and if the Bush admin is good at anything it's creating an environment where desperation is the basis for every decision. That way when they promote a self-destructive policy that is destined to fail miserably the present desperation for a short term solution clouds any reasonable judgment (think the "surge"). Japan would be wise to realize that once a country begins its waltz around the dance floor with our incumbent devil not only will they have to wait for the song to stop but they also have to pay the band, just ask Pakistan.