In his A New Beginning speech on June 4, 2009 in Cairo, President Obama said, “I have made it clear to the Iraq people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq’s sovereignty is its own.” (A major 2008 campaign promise to Americans was an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.) To this day, there are over 100 U.S. military bases in Iraq and tens of thousands of troops. President Obama also claimed, “Now, make no mistake: We do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We see no military–we seek no military bases there.” The U.S. currently has over 80 military bases and several combat brigades in Afghanistan. Are these brigades and bases temporary or permanent?
In fact, the U.S. has nonverbally militarized much of the Middle East. Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, and Pakistan hosts anywhere from one to 16 military bases each. (1) Even the Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq, requiring American combat forces to leave Iraqi cities by the end of July, appears verbally vague at best. New reports claim U.S. troops will be massing along the outskirts of Iraqi cities and encircling them. They will intervene at will, despite the deadline.
