[Marxism] Useful graphic in The Militant

[Brian Shannon <brian_shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

U.S. Bases in Europe to Move Southeast.
On December 6, U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice signed a new  
agreement with the government of Romania allowing Washington to use  
two bases: the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base on the Black Sea and the  
Babadag training range farther north. The map above shows their  
advantage over the former Cold War-era bases in Central Europe for  
positioning U.S. occupation troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other  
areas of interest to U.S. imperialism. U.S. troops will be rotated  
quickly in and out of the Romanian bases, “alleviating the need for  
extensive base housing, movie theaters, PXs and car washes associated  
with more conventional bases in Germany,” the Army Times reported. A  
similar pact with the government of Bulgaria is expected in March.

http://www.themilitant.com/2006/7003/700355.html
__________________

This was another victory for Rice's December trip to Europe. It  
originally appeared that there was to be a furor over the rendition  
flights of hidden prisoners. Instead there was a love feast; all  
sides agree to disagree. On reflection we can see that there was no  
conflict.

After all, these governments had secretly agreed to the flights! How  
could they protest them! At most, any statement of ignorance about  
the flights only meant that they personally did not know the details.  
Deniability is built into imperialist ethics. After the obligatory  
sit down meeting and photo ops, the political leaders of European  
Imperialism joined together in letting everyone know that they were  
"assured" and "very satisfied" that nothing was being done by the  
United States that anyone could object to.

Before the Iraq war, they had their own hopes for taking advantage of  
Iraq's weaknesses, created both by Saddam and the United States in  
combination with the United Nations. Now that the U.S. has created  
new facts on the ground, they have to adapt. Perhaps they can pick up  
some crumbs or even some slices of the pie.

NATO agreed to increase its commitment to Afghanistan by 6,000  
troops, thereby freeing up Washington's troops for Iraq and  
elsewhere. Europe, both old and new, continues its military division  
of labor. As long as the focus is on Iraq, Afghanistan may be  
acceptable to its public.

And what about Romania, the country that was most suspect in the  
rendition flights? The short blurb and graphic explains it all. For a  
price as yet unknown (to the nation as a whole and assuredly into  
some pockets), Romania "allows" Washington to use bases closer to the  
scene of present and future U.S. imperialist control in the Middle East.

Brian Shannon



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