US BASES, US BUDGET: UNCLE SAM'S BALANCING ACT...

 

(Based on two postings on Linked In a couple of days ago.)

Below, is to be found a very interesting article that stress the point that the US budget will benefit by closing at least some of the hundreds of US military bases that exist all over the planet. Some arguments are debatable (the Soviet nuclear move in Cuba was a direct response to the positioning of US nuclear weapons in Turkiye, near the Caucasus region of the former Soviet Union of the time). It is also doubtful that major powers will ever abide by rules about not putting military bases near adversaries whenever they have a chance to do so. Countries are like children: always looking for a chance to outdo one another, even in the same family. In fact, the way Trump's thinking (for lack of a better word...) seems to evolving, some US bases are starting to be removed in Europe, like in Poland, apparently in sync with the European Union's growing determination to be able to replace the US military muscles on its soil by European muscles as America complete its pivoting toward Asia. The Ukrainian deal negociated by the US will probably come to naught, simply because the Russians are sensing to feel that the Ukrainian War will be over in this Spring Offensive, or at worst in the course of a Fall Offensive later this year. Ukraine is doomed, even though nobody in Europe is ready to say it out loud, probablement pour ne pas décourager les Ukrainiens. As soon as the European will have constructed a solid Eastern Wall from Finland to Greece, full of local troops and German or French troops, all under the French nuclear umbrella, with armement factories starting to hum and produce all over the European subcontinent, the United States is likely yo accelerate its withdrawal from the European continent, rapatriating troops and equipments in an orderly fashion in order to beef up as much as possible the Asia-Pacific theatre between Taiwan and the US Pacific Coast. The expected closing down of many (if not most) military bases in Germany, Italy, etc., will certainly save money that, hopefully, will be used to good use by helping to reduce the federal yearly deficit. If Uncle Sam does not wish to turn into Uncle Adolf, and becoming for much of the world the new symbol of a militarized state that is dangerous and out of control, he will see the benefit of trading distance for time, and will use the opportunity of retrenching from Europe to start working on its growing social ills, protected by two humongous moats. As for Asia, it is possible that Japan and South Korea will start by playing along with Trump's desiderata about paying more for US military bases on their respective soil, but for how long? Sooner or later, South Korea will have to face the truth that America tried to force a military regime change on its governement through the botched coup that was attempted by its pro-US president a few months ago. As for Japan, it may think twice about the value of America's military protection if the US doesn't intervene in the event of a Chinese blocus and/or invasion of Taiwan, this year, next year, the year after that or any other year. And if it does intervene and get a beating as a result, things will be even worse, of course, because of the inevitable loss of face and credibility in the eyes of the Japanese people, whose governement will then have to find a way to coexist peacefully with its powerful neighbor, possibly at a heavy price if Beijing ask that the Ryu-Kyu archipelago be turned into a Chinese protectorate in exchange for long-term security arrangements.

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/04/close-the-us-military-bases-in-asia/