What about the rape? I understand that rape is often a massive problem in occupied territories due to the preponderance of single, hated soldiers. The US has come close to being kicked out of Japan a couple of times due to rape problems.

Was that ever an issue in Germany and how did the civilian populace deal with it?

Cacto,

     Having been stationed in Japan on and off for nearly 18 years, I know of only 3 instances of Rape by members of the military against Japanese civilians. In the cases that I know about (and trust me it is a huge thing) all those involved are currently rotting where they belong in a cell eating fish heads and rice (yes that is what they are fed). In each of those cases the outrage by the members of the Military against those who committed these heinous acts nearly eclipsed that of the Japanese people.

      I think that you have a distorted idea of what the US presense in Japan is, 99.9999% of the time it is a great mutualy bennificial arrangement and there is a tremendious amount of respect and generousity between the US Military and the Japanese people.

Chris

I'm curious now....What is a sex camp?

I was in Okinawa when one of these rapes occurred.  It was perpetrated by some Marines who were not stationed in Japan, but came in for temporary duty.  And as Grog stated, they were punished.

Having traveled quite a bit with the military (all over Asia especially) I can say rape cases are few and far between.  In fact, what is most shocking to me, is the extent the locals go to provide sex to American GI's, at a "rock bottom" price of course. 

Are there any American military installations over seas without a brothel or two right outside the gate? 

I don't know.  I've never seen one.

This:

It's just the fancy way of talking about it so that it fits in nicely with the refugee camp theme of the course. Basically the classes on sex, rape and military camps focused on the role projected power played in encouraging sex slavery and the spread of communicable disease, with the corresponding falllout for the locals and the reputation of the US (who is almost always the projecting power in these circumstances).

It seemed reasonable enough when I studied it, but we've all passed a lot of water since those days and it's interesting to hear the perspective of those who've experienced it.

One tries.

More seriously, Leauki, what was the worst thing about living in an occupied territory?

Berlin wasn't really occupied after '49. Yah it had a special status until 1990 but after 1971 (Berlinabkommen + Transitabkommen) it belonged de facto to the Federal Republic of Germany.

And the "hostile" country was a country of german people of the who didn't want anything more than to live on the other side of the wall and those were the real occupied ones - not West-Berlin. The Wall was to avoid people getting inside into your area not to keep you out, thats a very big difference.

Its hardly comparable to the situation in Gaza, where the people inside the "occupied" territory are not richer than those outside, where 2 different cultures face each other, where there massive unemployment and is a low education inside which in sum apparently is a good breeding ground for terrorism.

You compare apples and orang-utans here. I have been called out on this forum for comparing things much much similar to each other.

According to your profile you are 31 - the blockade was 1948.

You were also one people prior to separation, rather than multiple groups who'd been experiencing considerable tension since the turn of the century, which was only exacerbated by the belligerence of Arab neighbours and the laziness of the British Empire.

I just stated facts, I didn't blame anyone for it (and I don't think there is anyone to blame at all) and you are just projecting things on me.

Secondly, calling Mexico very very poor is a incredible overexaggeration, they have a GDP per capita of nearly 10000 $ that is more than some of the new members of the EU.  (I also don't see what a topic about an occupied territory has anything to do with Mexico). Extreme problem to US security is also kind of fearmongering, its a rather short border (compared with EUs outer borders) you have and its even the sole outer border with a poor country the USA has and you have very big oceans between you and Africa and Asia, don't tell me the USA can't handle that.

Seriously why are you so aggressive towards me, did I write something untrue, did I insult someone? The discussion climate some people cause here is really very rough.

Yes, that was my point.

It was totally different.

However, if we, the people of West-Berlin had fired rockets into East-Germany on a daily basis, and celebrated whenever we hit a school or kindergarden, and we were known for trying to smuggle bombs into East-Germany whenever we were allowed to cross the border (and if the strict border controls existed BECAUSE of our attempts to do that); THEN West-Berlin would have been very much like Gaza. The Russians wouldn't have seen the good-natured fun of it all, I am sure.

In that case the only difference between Gaza and West-Berlin would have been that our enemy wouldn't have provided us with healthcare and electricity. The communists are very much unlike Jews.

leuki, you grew up in an occupied territory? which one?

This was very interesting. Thanks. Still, I think "Gaza" has more complex history and problems than West-Berlin. But, I did understand what you wanted to mean.

I still fail to see how West-Berlin was occupied (okay they were de jure but not de facto)  and especially how they were occupied by russians as you make it sound. If they were occupied they were occupied by France, UK and USA not by Russia and actually West-Berlin has been a island of freedom surrounded by a occupied country. Comparing West-Berlin to Kaesong (this special capitalist zone in north korea) would be a better comparison and even that would be very far stretched.

And Taltamir how exactly did West-Berlin (West-Berlin is a term established after the war was over) have nearly as big troubles as Gaza had? They certainly had a lot less trouble than the people in the GDR who certainly had a lot less trouble then the people in the SU.

As Citizen of  West-Berlin you could travel everywhere without too big problems after 1971, you lived in a rich democracy, unlike the rest of the republic there even was no conscription (people even moved to west-berlin for exactly that reason).

Yah sure there were was this wall with german soldiers on it and you had to fear that they start another blockade but that it is no way comparable to Gaza. And if a war between Russia and USA started you'd died a few minuten earlier then the others in a nuclear apocalypse.