"Yankee Go Home"

Moon's article about the camptown prostitution in South Korea creates a very bleak image of foreign military basing. Aside from abusing the land and businesses around the base is the extreme violation of human rights of the South Korean people. Most of the abuse may not originate from American soldiers, but the prostitution that many women find themselves stuck with has injured korean culture. Moon explains that the prostitutes have been labeled as outcasts, and the lack of activism and research in the situation has led to the continuance of the problem. Many prostitutes are impregnated by American soldiers and never see a dime of help. Others are abused by their pimps and lead a life of poverty and shame. And Moon's overall point is the disgust over state to state negotiations that essentially condone this.

Should We Stay or Should We Go Now: "The Clash" of Our Time

The question of whether or not we should reduce or remove bases located in Okinawa is a difficult one. The article by Ota paints a depressing picture of the affects of the base on Okinawa. He provides various reason to remove the base, settling on the main point that it imposes on human rights. The sizes of the bases on Okinawa surely seem a bit excessive for the small island and while the number of bases may be acceptable for the region, Ota makes a good point that it is unfair for the people of their single island to be responsible for 50% of them. However, many of his statistics seem generalized and he makes points based on scientific evidence that should be backed up and provided if it is to be believed. His mention of detrimental affects of noise pollution on infants is a simple statement, not a scientific fact, at least until he provides some sort of data to back it up. Also, it fails to provide any analysis of the data in which he provides. There could have been reasons for the drop in jobs for local residents on the bases or for the use of the land for military training exercises. But overall, I can agree that human rights are definitely an issue that should be addressed, even if in a manner that includes keeping the bases in existance.

Is the U.S. Just a Big Hippocrit?

I think there are a lot of reasons for the U.S. to have bases throughout the world. During WWII we built hundreds in both Europe and the Pacific region. After the war, many were turned into permanent bases in order to provide security to both America and the regions surrounding former Nazi Germany and Japan. In 1945, Truman stated in a conference that the purpose of these bases were not for selfish advantage, but were necessary for "the complete protection of our interests and of world peace." And I believe this was indeed the truth in why we initially maintained foreign bases. Whether this was a good reason at the time or still a good reason today is not the purpose of my argument.

As for the other bases that have been established across the Earth, I think they fall into the main category of providing for the continuance of American hegemony. While some are there to deter threats or attacks on allied countries and others may be there for influential reasons or the placement of strategic global resources, all would arguably pertain to the continued hegemony of the U.S. And these are the reasons that we do not have foreign bases in our country. Quite simply, any allied country that wishes to get resources from us can trade with us, any country that wishes to gain influence with our government can establish an embassy or allow for a U.S. military base in their own country and any enemy country obviously won't be allowed anywhere near our borders for national security reasons. And finally, the operation and maintenance of foreign bases are very expensive, and not many countries can afford such a thing. There's simply no reason for other countries to have bases in the U.S, as opposed to the many reasons for America's bases abroad.

Another thing to take into account is the stability of a country. An unstable nation with strategic importance (either resources or geopolitically) can often be helped by a U.S. base being in the area. Foreign governments with rebellious citizens or organized crime issues are happy to have the support of more powerful and advanced troops nearby. And the U.S. is happy to put a base there if it serves a purpose. In all honesty, I think that many of the motives behind U.S. military and foreign policy in the Middle East lie in the need for stability in the oil rich region. While future decisions for the creation or deconstruction of military bases abroad will be long debated, overall the preponderance of American hegemony, not an American Empire, will be at the heart of each decision.