Oh No, Not Here

Trey Smith

If you look at a map of the world, US military and CIA bases pop up all over the place. We have one or more on every continent except Antarctica. Many nations house several.

When the US decides that it needs to build a base in some far flung corner of the world, it is next too impossible for the "host" nation to say no. We employ all sorts of strategies and outright threats to get our way. A nation may not want a foreign [US] base on its soil, but, in the end, it is almost ALWAYS built.

But as my wife mused the other day, it is quite interesting that there is NOT one foreign base on US soil. There are no German airfields. There are no Saudi naval bases. There are no Korean boot camps. There are no Peruvian forts.

Foreign soldiers often serve at our domestic military installations, but they are there as guests. It is not THEIR base; it's ours.

Can you imagine the furor it would create if Iran, Spain, Brazil or Cambodia announced their intention to build a base within our borders? Americans of all stripes would be up in arms. The general thought would be, "How dare they!"

And yet, the vast majority of Americans see no contradiction when the shoe is on the other foot. When our government leaders announce plans to build a military installation outside of our national borders, most Americans think nothing of it. In fact, many of my fellow citizens will tell you that the host nation should be tickled pink.

Yes, another example of American Exceptionalism.