Empire by the numbers - edited from Juan Cole + comments

[tabatha]

Percentage of Pakistanis who want US troops out of Afghanistan: 69

Number of US troops now in Iraq: 18,000
The 18,000 will be out by the end of this year.
Number of US troops in Iraq at height of war: 170,000

Number of bases US built in Iraq: 505
Number to be turned over to Iraq: 505

An estimated 150 Marines will guard the embassy.
Foreign security contractors will be 5,000, but will be in the country at the pleasure of the Iraqi government (Xe/ Blackwater was kicked out).
The thing to be afraid of is not a residual American imperialism but an imperial Nouri al-Maliki and his levies.

Percentage of Arab publics expressing favorable view of US in 2011: 26 In 2010: 10

Increase in Pentagon budget today over that in Reagan’s first term (when US faced Soviet threat): 11 %
Likely cut in Pentagon budget as a result of failure of super-committee to reach budget deal: 20%

Number of US troops President Obama deployed to Uganda last month: 100
Number of Marines to deploy to new base at Darwin Australia: 2500


http://www.juancole.com/2011/11/empire-by-the-numbers.html#comments