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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I have met neocons who flatly state that keeping
the USA involved rather than allowing a "power void" to occur is definitely in
the interest of the USA. Of course I flatly disagree with them but was
unable to formulate a convincing (convincing to a resolute neocon)
argument.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=davegreen84@yahoo.com href="mailto:davegreen84@yahoo.com">David
Green</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=jbw292002@gmail.com
href="mailto:jbw292002@gmail.com">John W.</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A
title=peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net
href="mailto:peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">Peace Discuss</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, July 21, 2010 9:40
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Peace-discuss] Fwd: Just
What Is America Doing all Over theWorld?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<DIV><FONT face="times new roman, new york, times, serif">"It certainly isn't
in America's interest. With a $13 trillion national debt and a $1. 6 trillion
deficit the U. S. can't afford to police the world. Moreover, forever meddling
everywhere guarantees endless conflict and war, with tens of thousands of
Americans dead, maimed, and wounded."</FONT></DIV>
<P><FONT face="times new roman, new york, times, serif"></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face="times new roman, new york, times, serif">But it is in the
interest of those who decide these things. Conservatives, even genuine
conservatives in the tradition of Taft, have trouble making these
distinctions. Moreover, a better and more convincing argument can be made on
the basis of principle rather than interest, no pun intended. Would all the
killing be "worth it" if it was in our "interest?"</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="times new roman, new york, times, serif"></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face="times new roman, new york, times, serif">DG</P>
<DIV><BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><BR>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
face="times new roman, new york, times, serif"><FONT size=2>
<HR SIZE=1>
<B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> John W.
<jbw292002@gmail.com><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Peace-discuss
<peace-discuss@anti-war.net><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Wed, July 21, 2010 1:50:41
AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [Peace-discuss]
Fwd: Just What Is America Doing all Over the World?<BR></FONT><BR>
<META content=off http-equiv=x-dns-prefetch-control><BR><BR></FONT>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>
<DIV><FONT face="times new roman, new york, times, serif"><B>THE WISDOM
FUND<BR>TWF.org</B><BR><BR><BR>July 15, 2020<BR>Campaign for
Liberty<BR><BR><FONT size=5><B>Just What Is America Doing all Over the
World?</B></FONT><BR>By Doug Bandow<BR><BR><I>Doug Bandow is the Robert A.
Taft Fellow at the American Conservative Defense Alliance (<A
href="http://www.acdalliance.org/" rel=nofollow
target=_blank>www.acdalliance.org</A>) and a Senior Fellow at the Cato
Institute. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is the
author of Foreign Follies: America's New Global Empire (Xulon Press,
2006).</I><BR><BR><BR>In one of the most celebrated debate exchanges of the
2008 presidential campaign, GOP contender Rep. Ron Paul pointed out that
Americans were hated because they were "over there" in Islamic lands. In fact,
there is virtually no country on earth where American forces are not
located.<BR><BR>Luckily, most people in most of those nations are not trying
to kill Americans. In fact, many foreigners enjoy being protected at U. S.
expense. Alas, Washington's desire to garrison most of the earth's surface
helps explain why Uncle Sam is effectively bankrupt.<BR><BR>In fact, it's hard
to keep track of America's many overseas military installations. By one
Pentagon count there are 865 foreign facilities. But that doesn't count bases
in Afghanistan and Iraq, which probably pushes the total past
1000.<BR><BR>There are 268 in Germany, 124 in Japan, and 87 in South Korea.
Many of these are small, but the numbers are still incredible. Moreover,
writes David Vine of American University:"Others are scattered around the
globe in places like Aruba and Australia, Bulgaria and Bahrain, Colombia and
Greece, Djibouti, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, and, of course,
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- just to name a few. "<BR><BR>The expense of these
facilities is just not the buildings, gates, fences, and other physical plant.
There are the many people services -- hospitals, commissaries, chow halls, and
more. Finally, costs include paying and training personnel, more than 1.4
million active duty worldwide. Plus caring for millions of family
members.<BR><BR>There are nonfinancial costs too. Argues Vine:"Military
families suffer painful dislocations as troops stationed overseas separate
from loved ones or uproot their families through frequent moves around the
world. While some foreign governments like U. S. bases for their perceived
economic benefits, many locals living near the bases suffer environmental and
health damage from military toxins and pollution, disrupted economic, social,
and cultural systems, military accidents, and increased prostitution and
crime. "<BR><BR>Bases also often are seen as an endorsement of ugly
authoritarian regimes, such as those in Central Asia. In fact, the price of
maintaining such installations frequently is formal political and economic
support for the host governments.<BR><BR>Advocates of an imperial presence
abroad like to argue that it is cheaper to station forces overseas than at
home since some countries pay "host nation support. "But that ignores the fact
that it is America's foreign commitments, backed by bases all over the world,
which generate the need for such a large military.<BR><BR>Many policymakers
act as if the number of U. S. soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors is set by
the stars, the position of the sun, or the phase of the moon. With no
discretion in the number of military personnel, the only question for
Washington is where to put them. So dump them in countries which help pay to
maintain them.<BR><BR>But U. S. troop levels are not a matter of geography,
fixed for all time. They are a matter of choice. The choice to act like the
world's policeman.<BR><BR>The Bible tells us that God worries about even a
sparrow falling to earth. So does Uncle Sam, who insists on being consulted
about virtually every other nation's economic policies, political systems,
human rights records, military forces, international objectives, and
more.<BR><BR>According to the Defense Department, there are 140,000 U. S.
personnel in Iraq. There we are trying to create a Western-style democracy
along the Euphrates. The objective has gone from turning the entire Middle
East into an idyllic replica of Switzerland to just avoiding a collapse like
in Lebanon three decades ago.<BR><BR>Another 90,000 Americans are in
Afghanistan. With al-Qaeda virtually absent from that nation (and Osama
bin-Laden long gone to Pakistan), the U. S. now is pursuing a different
mission. Alas, it's not exactly clear what. Apparently the administration
hopes to turn the corrupt, illegitimate Karzai regime into a respected,
competent, and effective central government. A wonderful ideal, but neither
realistic nor a strategic interest worth war for the U. S.<BR><BR>About 52,000
American troops are in Germany. Obviously the most populous and prosperous
country at the center of Europe doesn't need defending. The likelihood of
Russian troops marching on Berlin and clambering up the Bundestag building is
somewhat akin to that of the Martians landing and conducting a modern War of
the Worlds.<BR><BR>The only other reason to have forces in Germany is because
that country is closer to other places where Washington wants to send U. S.
personnel -- but shouldn't. German bases once devoted to preventing a Red Army
conquest are now handling casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan. However, if
the U. S. wasn't promiscuously warring on other nations, it wouldn't need a
German way-station in Europe.<BR><BR>There are 36,000 troops in Japan. World
War II ended 65 years ago, but Washington apparently hasn't noticed. With the
second largest economy on earth, Japan could do whatever is necessary to
defend itself. Instead, Tokyo expects America to sacrifice Los Angeles if
necessary to protect Tokyo.<BR><BR>Roughly 29,000 American military personnel
are in South Korea. U. S. forces have been stationed there for 60 years, the
first three in a very hot war. The South has the world's 13th largest economy,
with about 40 times the GDP of North Korea. The Republic of Korea's population
is twice that of the North. Surely Seoul could defend itself without American
assistance.<BR><BR>Smaller numbers of Americans are spread throughout the
world. About 11,000 afloat in the Pacific. Roughly 10,000 in Italy. Some 9,000
in the United Kingdom. More than a thousand each in Belgium, Spain, Turkey,
Bahrain, and Djibouti. Hundreds of people in Greece, Greenland, Netherlands,
Portugal, Australia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, Diego Garcia,
Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Cuba (Guantanamo Bay),
Honduras. Smaller numbers are sprinkled elsewhere.<BR><BR>Advocates of this
imperial military presence -- how better to characterize a thousand military
installations around the world? -- denounce anyone suggesting retrenchment as
an "isolationist. "But why is bombing, invading, and occupying other nations
considered to be a positive form of "engagement"?<BR><BR>It certainly isn't in
America's interest. With a $13 trillion national debt and a $1. 6 trillion
deficit the U. S. can't afford to police the world. Moreover, forever meddling
everywhere guarantees endless conflict and war, with tens of thousands of
Americans dead, maimed, and wounded.<BR><BR>Finally, promiscuous intervention
inevitably makes the U. S. a target of terrorism. As Rep. Paul pointed out,
being "over there" -- bombing, invading, and occupying Muslim lands -- creates
enemies. And some of those enemies have proved they are both willing and able,
to strike the American homeland. That doesn't make it right. But it does
provide another reason to bring U. S. troops home.<BR><BR>To coin a phrase, it
is time for a change. Washington policymakers traded in the American republic
for a global empire decades ago. It's time for the American people to trade
back.<BR><BR><BR><B>MORE on <A
href="http://www.twf.org/News/Y2004/0117-Empire.html" rel=nofollow
target=_blank>America's Empire of Bases</A>
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