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1,000 US Military Bases Around the World:
The Arrogance of American Power
By Paul J. Balles
Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, July 27, 2010
Paul J. Balles argues that the continued presence of 1,000 American
military bases outside the USA nearly two decades after the collapse of the
Soviet Union is a symptom of the arrogance of power that threatens local
communities and ultimately the USA itself.
”What is America doing in Iraq and Afghanistan? It’s called 'nation
building'. What business is it of America to be building other’s nations?
It's really none of their business. It's nothing more than the arrogance of
power.”
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ending the Cold War, America
breathed a sigh of relief.
A problem that should have been addressed
at that point was neglected. The question that should have dominated
American thinking is: Do we really need to maintain the many US military
bases abroad?
Twelve years after the Soviet collapse, America
reportedly had 702 overseas military bases in about 130 countries and
another 6,000 bases in the United States and its territories. That report
failed to include a number of so-called secret bases and bases in the Middle
East. "Due to government secrecy, our citizens are often ignorant of the
fact that our garrisons encircle the planet.” Chalmers Johnston, military
historian As military historian Chalmers Johnston observed: "...the
United States dominates the world through its military power. Due to
government secrecy, our citizens are often ignorant of the fact that our
garrisons encircle the planet. This vast network of American bases on every
continent except Antarctica actually constitutes a new form of empire..."
By 2009, the number of American bases outside of the USA had increased to
over 1,000. Anthropology professor David Vines said these represented "the
largest collection of bases in world history".
Vines added:
"Officially, the Pentagon counts 865 base sites, but this notoriously
unreliable number omits all our bases in Iraq (likely over 100) and
Afghanistan (80 and counting), among many other well-known and secretive
bases."
Where are all those military bases outside the military zones
like Iraq and Afghanistan, and what purpose do they serve? "More than half a
century after World War II and the Korean War," wrote Vines, "we still have
268 bases in Germany, 124 in Japan, and 87 in South Korea."
Are the
bases in Germany and Japan there to deter any present or future leaders in
those countries from a repeat performance of the events that led to World
War II or to the Korean War?
What Congress and the public hear from
the administration and the military establishment is that these bases are
necessary for national security. That, of course, is a paranoid claim.
“The Vietnam War should have taught us that we weren't invincible. Whatever
affect it had on the thirst for power was short-lived.” The Vietnam War
should have taught us that we weren't invincible. Whatever affect it had on
the thirst for power was short-lived. The power-grabbers needed the
worldwide power stations for reasons other than fighting wars. Hundreds
of thousands of military personnel and their families had employment in jobs
that kept the unemployment numbers down and raised few complaints from
taxpayers who foot the bill. It also kept the military-industrial complex
profitable.
The problem with the whole scheme is that hundreds of
these military bases are located in areas that are not war zones, and their
sole function is to assure America's interests in a particular area.
The side effects of the entire scenario have been disastrous, and will
continue to be. Personnel from the bases pose a clear threat to local
communities and ultimately to America simply for being there.
Military personnel don't have the same access to US entertainment that they
had at home, so they become involved in drugs, excessive alcohol,
prostitution and rape – the spoils of non-wars.
Equally heinous
results come from the reactions provoked by a military presence anywhere.
American military personnel threaten the local cultures in such a way that
they provoke the development of resistance. They create enemies.
That
is exactly what happened with Osama Bin Laden. He had a persuasive argument
against America's hunger for world control and the threat that posed.
What is America doing in Iraq and Afghanistan? It’s called "nation
building". What business is it of America to be building other’s nations?
It's really none of their business. It's nothing more than the arrogance of
power.
Paul J. Balles is a retired American university
professor and freelance writer who has lived in the Middle East for many
years. For more information, see
http://www.pballes.com.
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