Geral
By BRET STEPHENS, WSJ
"We're under great threat because we occupy so many countries. We're in 130 countries. We have 900 bases around the world."
So spoke presidential hopeful and libertarian favorite Ron Paul at this week's GOP debate in Florida. But is it true?
You might think so, given how often the figures get bandied about on the Internet. In 2008, the late Chalmers Johnson claimed the U.S. deployed troops in no fewer than 151 foreign countries and operated 761 military bases. These figures were the basis for his claim that since 9/11 the U.S. has "undergone a transformation from republic to empire that may well prove irreversible."
The reality is a tad less alarming. The Pentagon's 2010 Base Structure Report notes that the U.S. maintains a total of 662 bases abroad. But of those, only 20 were listed as "large sites" and another 12 as "medium sites." The rest (630) were listed as either "small" or "other" sites. That's one reason the total number of bases changes from year to year.
Then there's Mr. Paul's line about U.S. forces being "in 130 countries." Really? The truth is that American soldiers are in even more countries than that—but only if you count the small Marine detachments that provide security for our embassies world-wide. By that measure, we're in every country from Albania, where we have eight Marines, to Zimbabwe, where we have nine.
In fact, according to figures compiled by the Defense Manpower Data Center, as of September 2010 the bulk of U.S. forces deployed overseas (not including those on ships or in transit) are stationed in just seven countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Japan, South Korea, Germany, the U.K. and Italy, all of which are home to at least 9,000 troops. Aside from Afghanistan and Iraq (which may soon drop off that list) all of these are World War II and Cold War legacies. Another five countries—Spain, Turkey, Belgium (the headquarters of NATO), Bahrain and Djibouti—have between 1,000 and 1,500 troops. The next largest deployments are Portugal (703), Qatar (555) Honduras (403) and Greece (338).
There's an intellectually respectable argument to be made that perhaps the U.S. doesn't need so many troops in rich and peaceful countries like Germany or Japan. But to say, as Congressman Paul does, that we're in 130 countries isn't just factually inaccurate. It's absurd.
- Parceiros Desconfortáveis
No website do Real Instituto Elcano, um "think tank" espanhol, pode ver-se um interessante estudo de William Chislet, intitulado "Portugal and Spain: From Distant Neighbours to Uneasy Associates", sobre as relações entre Portugal e Espanha na actualidade....
- “a Favor To Mr Bush”
«In some ways, the prime-minister-in-waiting of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, did Mr. Bush a favor when he said he would withdraw Spain's symbolic military force from Iraq if the United Nations' role did not significantly increase after...
- Stimulus Spending Keeps Failing
Robert Barro, WSJ The weak economic recovery in the U.S. and the even weaker performance in much of Europe have renewed calls for ending budget austerity and returning to larger fiscal deficits. Curiously, this plea for more fiscal expansion fails to...
- The Great Global Warming Fizzle
By BRET STEPHENS, WSJ The climate religion fades in spasms of anger and twitches of boredom How do religions die? Generally they don't, which probably explains why there's so little literature on the subject. Zoroastrianism, for instance, lost...
- Europe's Entitlement Reckoning
Editorial do WSJ From Greece to Italy to France, the welfare state is in crisis. In the European economic crisis, all roads lead through Rome. The markets have raised the price of financing Italy's mammoth debt to new highs, and on Tuesday Silvio...
Geral
Ron Paul's Fantasy Empire
By BRET STEPHENS, WSJ
"We're under great threat because we occupy so many countries. We're in 130 countries. We have 900 bases around the world."
So spoke presidential hopeful and libertarian favorite Ron Paul at this week's GOP debate in Florida. But is it true?
You might think so, given how often the figures get bandied about on the Internet. In 2008, the late Chalmers Johnson claimed the U.S. deployed troops in no fewer than 151 foreign countries and operated 761 military bases. These figures were the basis for his claim that since 9/11 the U.S. has "undergone a transformation from republic to empire that may well prove irreversible."
The reality is a tad less alarming. The Pentagon's 2010 Base Structure Report notes that the U.S. maintains a total of 662 bases abroad. But of those, only 20 were listed as "large sites" and another 12 as "medium sites." The rest (630) were listed as either "small" or "other" sites. That's one reason the total number of bases changes from year to year.
Then there's Mr. Paul's line about U.S. forces being "in 130 countries." Really? The truth is that American soldiers are in even more countries than that—but only if you count the small Marine detachments that provide security for our embassies world-wide. By that measure, we're in every country from Albania, where we have eight Marines, to Zimbabwe, where we have nine.
In fact, according to figures compiled by the Defense Manpower Data Center, as of September 2010 the bulk of U.S. forces deployed overseas (not including those on ships or in transit) are stationed in just seven countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Japan, South Korea, Germany, the U.K. and Italy, all of which are home to at least 9,000 troops. Aside from Afghanistan and Iraq (which may soon drop off that list) all of these are World War II and Cold War legacies. Another five countries—Spain, Turkey, Belgium (the headquarters of NATO), Bahrain and Djibouti—have between 1,000 and 1,500 troops. The next largest deployments are Portugal (703), Qatar (555) Honduras (403) and Greece (338).
There's an intellectually respectable argument to be made that perhaps the U.S. doesn't need so many troops in rich and peaceful countries like Germany or Japan. But to say, as Congressman Paul does, that we're in 130 countries isn't just factually inaccurate. It's absurd.
- Parceiros Desconfortáveis
No website do Real Instituto Elcano, um "think tank" espanhol, pode ver-se um interessante estudo de William Chislet, intitulado "Portugal and Spain: From Distant Neighbours to Uneasy Associates", sobre as relações entre Portugal e Espanha na actualidade....
- “a Favor To Mr Bush”
«In some ways, the prime-minister-in-waiting of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, did Mr. Bush a favor when he said he would withdraw Spain's symbolic military force from Iraq if the United Nations' role did not significantly increase after...
- Stimulus Spending Keeps Failing
Robert Barro, WSJ The weak economic recovery in the U.S. and the even weaker performance in much of Europe have renewed calls for ending budget austerity and returning to larger fiscal deficits. Curiously, this plea for more fiscal expansion fails to...
- The Great Global Warming Fizzle
By BRET STEPHENS, WSJ The climate religion fades in spasms of anger and twitches of boredom How do religions die? Generally they don't, which probably explains why there's so little literature on the subject. Zoroastrianism, for instance, lost...
- Europe's Entitlement Reckoning
Editorial do WSJ From Greece to Italy to France, the welfare state is in crisis. In the European economic crisis, all roads lead through Rome. The markets have raised the price of financing Italy's mammoth debt to new highs, and on Tuesday Silvio...