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New Allies in the Mediterranean

C. T. Sandars

in America’s Overseas Garrisons: The Leasehold Empire

This chapter discusses U.S. alliance with countries in the Mediterranean Region after World War II. The U.S. was able to successfully establish alliance with Spain, Turkey, and Greece. It had ... More

This chapter discusses U.S. alliance with countries in the Mediterranean Region after World War II. The U.S. was able to successfully establish alliance with Spain, Turkey, and Greece. It had difficulty negotiating basing rights with Spain because of Francisco Franco's efforts to avoid an American security commitment and Spain's close ties with the Arab world, but it was able to secure five-year terms for American military bases. The alliance with Turkey and Greece was prompted by Soviet pressure in the Eastern Mediterranean immediately after the war.Less

Neo-colonial Bases

C. T. Sandars

in America’s Overseas Garrisons: The Leasehold Empire

This chapter discusses the neo-colonial bases established by the U.S. after World War II. In search of suitable overseas military bases after the war, the U.S. retained military facilities in other ... More

This chapter discusses the neo-colonial bases established by the U.S. after World War II. In search of suitable overseas military bases after the war, the U.S. retained military facilities in other countries where it had enjoyed colonial or quasi-colonial rights. The Philippines and the Panama Canal Zone were high on their priority list. The U.S. also retained the naval base at Guantanamo in Cuba. The U.S. retained extensive military in both Panama and the Philippines throughout the Cold War period. By contrast, Great Britain retained no military facilities in Pakistan or India when these countries were granted independence in 1947.Less

The Revival of Wartime Arrangements

C. T. Sandars

in America’s Overseas Garrisons: The Leasehold Empire

This chapter discusses the U.S. government's efforts to revive wartime agreements after the end of World War II. The U.S. invested much in the construction of a worldwide network of military bases ... More

This chapter discusses the U.S. government's efforts to revive wartime agreements after the end of World War II. The U.S. invested much in the construction of a worldwide network of military bases during the war and felt that it was owed some return on this investment. However, after the war the U.S. was asked to leave its bases in Greenland, Iceland, and the Azores, which were considered as stepping stones across the Atlantic. To address the problem, the U.S. issued a unilateral invitation to several European countries including Portugal, Iceland, and Denmark to join the North Atlantic Treaty in April 1949, paving the way for the return of American forces to Greenland, Iceland, and the Azores in the interest of common defence.Less

From Conquest to Containment: Asia

C. T. Sandars

in America’s Overseas Garrisons: The Leasehold Empire

This chapter discusses the U.S. government's determination to take sole control of Japan and the Pacific region after World War II. The U.S. was determined to keep other allies, particularly Russia, ... More

This chapter discusses the U.S. government's determination to take sole control of Japan and the Pacific region after World War II. The U.S. was determined to keep other allies, particularly Russia, out of Japan, to prevent their development of offensive bases on the home islands. The Joint Chiefs of Staff were keen on building military bases on the Ryukyus Islands and in Okinawa, but not on a long-term basis. However, they were compelled to maintain a permanent presence on the mainland and home islands to ensure peace and stability along the areas bordering the Yellow Sea and because of the outbreak of the Korean War.Less

Resistance in the Middle East

C. T. Sandars

in America’s Overseas Garrisons: The Leasehold Empire

This chapter discusses the failure of the U.S. to establish military presence and bases in the Middle East. This region has been the key area of rivalry between the traditional colonial empire of ... More

This chapter discusses the failure of the U.S. to establish military presence and bases in the Middle East. This region has been the key area of rivalry between the traditional colonial empire of Britain and the new leasehold empire of the U.S. The U.S. was initially prepared to accept Britain's dominant position in the Middle East after the war, but it increasingly came to challenge this for commercial and strategic reasons. America's initial interests in the region involve providing military support for Israel and for security of oil supplies.Less

The Long Haul to the Accords

Jill Edwards

in Anglo-American Relations and the Franco Question, 1945–1955

For Dean Acheson and Harry S. Truman, the ascendancy of military planners appeared to mark an admission of defeat on the Spanish question. The removal of the United Nations recommended sanctions on ... More

For Dean Acheson and Harry S. Truman, the ascendancy of military planners appeared to mark an admission of defeat on the Spanish question. The removal of the United Nations recommended sanctions on Spain facilitated the United States' pursuit of negotiations with Spanish leader Francisco Franco. Britain's negative response about the possible role of Spain in relation to the general defence of Western Europe was not simply a matter of socio-political factors, but military and economic as well. British defence chiefs placed the importance of Iberia high in the new NATO defence structure, but had more immediate and engrossing considerations in the Mediterranean than popular opinion or union pressure, had it so endeavoured, could alone have influenced. Like their American counterparts they had the politico-strategic dilemma presented by Spain under constant review. This chapter looks at the issue of military bases, accords, and the British armament industry in relation to Spain.Less

The Accords and British Reaction

Jill Edwards

in Anglo-American Relations and the Franco Question, 1945–1955

After successfully blocking United States economic aid to Spain for some time, President Harry S. Truman finally authorized credit for Spain, whittled down from the original proposal of $100 million ... More

After successfully blocking United States economic aid to Spain for some time, President Harry S. Truman finally authorized credit for Spain, whittled down from the original proposal of $100 million to $62.5 million. United States military and commercial interest in Spain was now undisguised, and Truman's stance on the issue was ever more isolated in the context of current formulation of American foreign policy as a whole. Since the beginning of 1949, the State Department had been conducting detailed negotiations with France for base rights in French territory in Mediterranean and North African areas. Agreements signed in September 1953 were a series of twenty-seven accords or pacts covering Defense, Economic Aid, and Mutual Defense Assistance. This chapter examines Britain's reaction to the military bases agreements signed by the United States with other countries, the rise to power of the Conservative Party in British politics, and the aftermath of the base agreements.Less

Moscow’s Quest for a Privileged Role

Alexander Cooley

in Great Games, Local Rules: The New Great Power Contest in Central Asia

Chapter 4 examines the strategic evolution and dilemmas of Russia, the region's former imperial power and continued privileged partner. The chapter analyzes Moscow's broad range of levers of ... More

Chapter 4 examines the strategic evolution and dilemmas of Russia, the region's former imperial power and continued privileged partner. The chapter analyzes Moscow's broad range of levers of influence, and traces its efforts to lock in its dominance by creating new regional organizations such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). At the same time, Moscow's regional policies and tactics have remained unstable and reactive, subject to Russia's self-image as a great power and its prevailing relations with the United States and China. An initial period of close U.S.-Russian cooperation immediately following 9/11 soon after deteriorated into a more competitive dynamic, fueled by the Western-backed Color Revolutions and Russian perceptions that U.S. military bases were becoming permanent. Despite its numerous instruments of influence, Moscow still must confront the political challenges of the region's intraregional tensions, the desire of states to pursue multidirectional foreign policies, and a rising China.Less

Military Strength and the Use of Force

in The Foreign Policy Disconnect: What Americans Want from Our Leaders but Don't Get

This chapter examines the circumstances under which Americans favor or oppose the use of military force, with special attention to the roles of multilateral cooperation and of international ... More

This chapter examines the circumstances under which Americans favor or oppose the use of military force, with special attention to the roles of multilateral cooperation and of international organizations like the United Nations and NATO. It also considers policy preferences concerning military capabilities, including defense spending and bases abroad.Less

Mobilisation in exile

Laura Jeffery

in Chagos Islanders in Mauritius and the UK: Forced Displacement and Onward Migration

This chapter describes the mobilisation of Chagos islanders in Mauritius. Chagossian groups have historically been united concerning their desired ends, with a shared focus on compensation and the ... More

This chapter describes the mobilisation of Chagos islanders in Mauritius. Chagossian groups have historically been united concerning their desired ends, with a shared focus on compensation and the right to return to the Chagos Archipelago. Competing Chagossian groups have, however, disagreed on whether negotiation or litigation is the best means to achieve these aims. The chapter outlines these tensions before focusing on the ideological and pragmatic disagreements within and beyond the community concerning two key issues. The first is debates about whether Chagos should be under British or Mauritian sovereignty. The second is debates about the legitimacy or otherwise of the US military base on Diego Garcia, which is seen by some as a necessary opportunity for employment and by others as conflicting with their visions for the resettlement of Chagos.Less

The U.S. Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay and U.S.-Cuban Cooperation

Melanie M. Ziegler

in U.S.-Cuban Cooperation Past, Present, and Future

Since its establishment, the U.S. Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay (Gitmo) has been a constant and major irritant to many Cuban nationalists. Formally established in 1901, the naval base is the oldest ... More

Since its establishment, the U.S. Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay (Gitmo) has been a constant and major irritant to many Cuban nationalists. Formally established in 1901, the naval base is the oldest of all U.S. overseas military bases and is the only U.S. base located in a Communist country and with an infinite lease. Fidel Castro once said that Gitmo is a dagger plunge deep into the heart of the Cuban soil. This chapter discusses the cooperation between U.S and Cuban military on the issue surrounding the operations at the Guantánamo Naval Base. The chapter provides an overview and history of how the U.S. gained access and control on the area including the role of the base during and after the Cuban revolution as well as its continuing importance to the U.S. on issues regarding illegal migration and exile. The chapter also discusses the base-related conflicts that have escalated since the end of the Cuban revolution. It also discusses the unilateral and bilateral efforts of the two countries which resulted in the reduction of the conflict and tension concerning the use and operations of the base. Chapter 4 concludes with an analysis of the 1990s cooperative efforts and George W. Bush's base relations policies.Less

Geography and Jurisdiction

DAVID CLARK and GERARD McCOY

in The Most Fundamental Legal Right: Habeas Corpus in the Commonwealth

This chapter considers the territorial or geo-juridical reach of the remedy of habeas corpus. The basic principle is that once a detainee has physically left a jurisdiction, no court within that ... More

This chapter considers the territorial or geo-juridical reach of the remedy of habeas corpus. The basic principle is that once a detainee has physically left a jurisdiction, no court within that jurisdiction can issue the writ in relation to him or her. However, this is now subject to emerging exceptions. The reach of the writ in unitary and federal legal systems is examined, along with how it has been made to work when the detainee has left the jurisdiction. The chapter also looks at cases of child abduction or retention, international kidnapping by the executive, foreign expulsions by governments, and detentions on military bases in foreign countries.Less

Bunkers, Bats, and Base Closures

David G. Havlick

in Bombs Away: Militarization, Conservation, and Ecological Restoration

Since the 1980s, a series of military base closures in the United States has generated opportunities for new kinds of land use across vast areas of land. Many of these sites are now managed as ... More

Since the 1980s, a series of military base closures in the United States has generated opportunities for new kinds of land use across vast areas of land. Many of these sites are now managed as national wildlife refuges, dedicated to new purposes of habitat and wildlife conservation. These changes create opportunities for land managers and environmental protection, but can also obscure damage created by military uses and erase meaningful histories from some of these lands. The chapter evaluates the tensions, challenges, and opportunities that come with military-to-wildlife transitions, and highlights examples at sites in Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, and other locations where these changes are occurring.Less

Mobilizing the Moving Image: Movie Machines at US Military Bases and Veterans’ Hospitals during World War II

Andrea Kelley

in Cinema's Military Industrial Complex

This chapter, by Andrea Kelley, examines the U.S. military’s integration of new screen technologies at military sites during World War II through a study of the Mills Novelty Panoram, a 16mm film ... More

This chapter, by Andrea Kelley, examines the U.S. military’s integration of new screen technologies at military sites during World War II through a study of the Mills Novelty Panoram, a 16mm film jukebox machine. Through specific considerations of the Panoram at Air Force base libraries, intelligence “war room” facilities, and veterans hospitals, this chapter evaluates wartime discourses of training and therapy and how they are articulated to Panoram viewing practices. The integration of the Panoram into military life in the 1940s normalized small-screen interactions for soldiers and presaged emerging trends in postwar U.S. culture, including consumer desire for adaptable, portable, and self-operating film machines and for multiple small-screen engagements.Less

The Geography of Vice: Spatial Dimensions of Clandestine Sex Work

Christina Elizabeth Firpo

in Black Market Business: Selling Sex in Northern Vietnam, 1920-1945

This chapter is a spatial analysis of Tonkin's black market sex industry. It investigates how the area's physical, administrative, economic, and political geography shaped the ways that unregistered ... More

This chapter is a spatial analysis of Tonkin's black market sex industry. It investigates how the area's physical, administrative, economic, and political geography shaped the ways that unregistered sex was sold in Tonkin. Some of the areas discussed here include the Red River Delta, Hanoi, Hanoi's suburbs, Hai Phong City, the military bases, the border towns, and the coast of Tonkin. The chapter discusses how the geographic and political landscape of Tonkin enabled traffickers and clandestine sex workers to evade colonial police. It talks about how colonial land policies, the tax system, and the government's neglect of the suburbs further impoverished peasants, leading women to seek alternative income through sex work.Less