The role of US military bases in aggression

The role of US military bases in aggression and intervention in Africa and the Middles East and the people’s response Wim De Ceukelaire

US bases in ME and Africa 1) Middle East: Bases as the continuation of war 2) Africa: New ambitions

Objectives Military But also Economic Political

After the war. . . Zoltan Grossman: “Wars are being waged in order to station bases. Pentagon documents consider what is left behind after the war as more important than he war itself. ”

After World War II

New bases since 1990 1. Gulf War 2. Somalia/Yemen conflicts 3. Ex-Yugoslav wars 4. Afghan War 5. Iraq War

Gulf War I bases cluster

Somalia War, 1992 -93

Yugoslav Wars bases cluster

Afghan War bases cluster

Caspian Basin oil and gas pipelines 1996 Unocal (Karzai, Khalilzad) plans for route across Afghanistan

New U. S. military base clusters 1. Gulf War, 1991 2. Yugoslav Wars, 1995 -99 3. Afghan War, 2001 4. Iraq War, 2003 “Their function may be more political than military. They send a message to everyone. ” --Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, NYT 2002

Camp Anaconda 30, 000 troops 10, 000 contractors 16 square miles + 12 square mile security perimeter Streets, power supply, . . .

Bahrain Naval Support Activity Bahrain US Naval Forces Cen. Com US fifth fleet

Syria and Iran. . .

Africa

Stiff competition

Competition During a conference on 'The Evolution of African Militaries, ' in February 2009, co-hosted by US Africa Command the US Department of State, Professor David H. Shinn, adjunct professor for George Washington University, observed: “China is projected to pass the United States by 2010 as Africa's largest trading partner. It has diplomatic relations with fortynine of Africa's fifty-three countries (four countries still recognize Taiwan) and has an embassy in all forty-nine countries except Somalia. (. . . ) The playing field is much more crowded than it was just ten years ago. This gives the Africans more options, but it also complicates the nature of Africa's interaction with outside interests. ”

Anticipate protest AFRICOM commander General Carter F. Ham told the US Senate Armed Services Committee last April 7: “An Africa that can generate and sustain broad based economic development will contribute to global growth, which is a long-standing American interest. However, poverty in many parts of Africa contributes to an insidious cycle of instability, conflict, environmental degradation, and disease that erodes confidence in national institutions and governing capacity. This in turn often creates the conditions for the emergence of a wide range of transnational security threats that can threaten the American homeland our regional interests. ”

2008: Africom

Libya