Stambuk and Sandars

The creation of bases in other countries before WWII challenged the national sovereignty of countries. Many of the leases that allowed for the bases to be built also allowed for the United States to have autonomous control of that area. To me it seemed like the bases were more like states being created in foreign countries. The example that Stambuk sites in Samoa makes it seem like the United States (and other foreign powers, Germany and Great Britain) simply took advantage of the fact that they could get the Samoan government to fold to their demands. They also did not take into account the needs of the Samoan people. The sudden increase in restrictions upset the general population and allowed for unrest within the country. I guess it was important to protect overseas interests and therefore neccessary to have some sort of launching point other than U.S. soil but I also think that the U.S. military needs to have some sort of accountability to the demands of the country and the people they are displacing with the construction of foreign bases. In comparison to the construction of bases during and after WWII, the construction pre-WWII seems minimal.

Sandars points out that 443 bases were created during the War. How did the United States even have time to build all those bases while being involved in the war? I can't even fathom the amount of money, people and supplies that went into 443 bases. This sounds dumb, but I didn't even know the U.S. had 443 foreign bases. Obviously I knew we had a lot, but once I see the number (not even the entire number I'm sure) it just seems to hit home. This post-war development signaled the United States' rise to power as the "global police." After the war the UK couldn't contiune its role as a super power because of the toll that the war played on their economy and country. The US was in a dominant position to rise to power, and combined with the threat of communism, the US did just that. Not only did US military presence increase around the globe but the US also began their role in protecting other governments from communsim. Suddenly we start seeing the involvement of US military intervention in Latin America and other countries. US supported military coups that put in power extremely repressive dictators througout Latin America. WIth the increase in bases we see an increase in interventions and a lack of recognition of nations' rights.

These two articles reminded me of the movie showed during the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival last year about the Marshall Islands "Collateral Damage", and how a US military base there has caused devestation among the Marshellese people, and still nothing is done. The military base is a symbol of affluence and money while the native citizens of the Marshall Islands live in absolute poverty just a few miles from the base. Since the occupation of the Marshall Islands, the average life span has decreased to 62 years, the Islands have a 23% higher rate of TB than the US and from 1946-1968 67 nuclear devices were tested on or around the Island. The effects of the US military base on the Marshellese people is huge, but still the US stays in order to protect our interests, even if the native citizens are severely harmed in the process.