Saturday, July 17, 2010

The ever expanding US

It is estimated that that the US has some 700 to 800 bases and 250,000 soldiers outside the US. A good book about they work is Robert Kaplan's book "Imperial Grunts: The American Military On The Ground".

Despite Obama's rhetoric the expansion of the US presence around the world is going on. The newest goal seems to be encirclement of China , but the encirclement of Russia is going on too. Of course it is not Obama alone. He is under serious pressure from the increasingly extremist views in the Republican party.

The problematic aspect of this is that nearly every country in the world is put for the choice whether it is for or against the US. Being for the US implies accepting US bases, military training and often some symbolic participation in Afghanistan. I find this disturbing and destabilizing.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

There are actually no extremist elements in the Republican Party. That political party does not embrace extremists and rarely if ever allows them to get elected.

"The newest goal seems to be encirclement of China."

With China still threatening to cross an international border and destroy Taiwan, this is wise.

"Being for the US implies accepting US bases, military training and often some symbolic participation in Afghanistan."

How is this disturbing and destabilizing? If anything is destabilizing, it is letting the terrorists succeed in Afghanistan.