Resistance Growing to U.S. Military Bases Around the World

[Purveyor]

As members of Congress and various presidential candidates debate the war in Iraq and proposals for withdrawing American forces, most put forth the idea that the U.S. must leave military bases behind for the training of Iraqi troops and countering terrorism. A few, like Democratic presidential hopefuls Bill Richardson and Dennis Kucinich, pledge to bring all the troops home.

Iraq is currently one of about 160 nations around the world that hosts a total of 700 U.S. military bases and a number of other smaller outposts. Some of these bases are a legacy of World War II and the Cold War, located in Europe and the Pacific. There are relatively few bases in Latin America and Africa . But across the globe, there is growing opposition to America 's military presence, which has sparked movements pushing for the closure of these bases.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Zoltan Grossman, a geographer and faculty member at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. who is an authority on U.S. military bases. He talks about where they have proliferated most recently, what model the U.S. is following, and how international resistance is growing.

ZOLTAN GROSSMAN: The expansion is really happening in the Middle East, stretching from Poland to Pakistan , there is a new swath of permanent-looking U.S. military bases that have been left behind by each of the interventions since 1990. The Gulf War, the Balkans War in the former Yugoslavia, the Afghan war and now the Iraq war – have left behind these sprawling installations in places where the U.S. didn’t have permanent bases before. And if you look at it collectively, it looks like a new U.S. sphere of influence right in between the EU and China , the two main economic competitors. So I think bases are central to what’s happening, perhaps even more so than oil and natural resources. It used to be you could say bases were constructed to wage wars. Now you can almost say, that the wars are being waged in order to station the bases. When you look at Pentagon statements, Pentagon documents, they see what’s left behind after the war as important, or more important, than the war itself.

---eoe---

Listen in RealAudio:
http://www.btlonline.org/grossman092807.ram

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00062.htm

[RC]

1. It is about time.

Maybe some good will come out of this after all. Why do we need bases all over the world, anyway? What other country even comes close to having as many military bases as we have in other countries? How many countries have military bases on US soil? Hmmm... None.

[cliss]

2. The US is being forced

to eliminate all unnecessary bases, and just concentrate on the vitals. I've read that some countries have actually raised the "rent" on these bases. One of the 'Stans did just recently, and the US pulled out.

The truth is, the US is becoming so hated around the world, that they can't stay in all the places that previously would have been accepted. Even US Embassies now are such targets, that they have to increase security and it's costing a fortune to maintain them.

FACT
The U.S. only comprises about 3.7% of the world's population. And YET we feel that we have the right to jerk around the other 96%. Those days are over.

[Judi Lynn]

3. There's a useful link posted at the bottom of your scoop article:

http://www.no-bases.net/

Very important subject. Thanks a lot.

[bemildred]

4. This is what did the USSR in.

The Russian people got fed up with paying for the non-working Russian empire.

[reprobate]

5. MIlitary overreach is what did every empire in. Rome was the model.

The Roman treasury was drained by a military that took far too much of their wealth. Sound familiar?

[bemildred]

6. Oh yeah, I'm on the same page. nt