The Pros And Cons Of US Military Bases

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The United States has been a strong military presence in the world for the last few decades. According to David Vine of TheNation, almost “seventy years after World War II and 62 years after the Korean War, there are still 174 bases in Germany, 113 in Japan, and 83 in South Korea, according to the Pentagon. Hundreds more dot the planet in around 80 countries…” (Vine 2). Over this time, the US had established over 1,000 military bases in foreign countries which is more than any other country in the world in history. America’s original intentions with these bases was to provide the world with safety, thus avoiding the next World War. However, America’s bases have actually created a more hostile environment, which in turn has opened up the doors for debate on whether or not these bases are benefiting America as a country. Recently, the popular idea has shifted towards closing a majority of these bases (if not all of them) in order to save the US from excess harm. The United States’ military bases in foreign countries across the globe are not benefiting America in any way, shape, or form; in other words, they must be shut down. One of the problems that these bases bring about has to do with the cost of each army center. First off, each site is rapidly increasing America’s debt. To this day, the United States has spent over $85 billion on troops and keeping bases open. This increase in debt forces American citizens to pay more money in taxes than any other …show more content…

Washington should not retreat into isolationism but refocus its efforts on its three biggest security challenges: preventing a powerful rival from upending the global balance of power, fighting terrorists, and limiting nuclear proliferation. These challenges are not new, but the United States must develop more carefully calculated and discriminating policies to address them. (Posen