Why are US military bases overseas being condemned by everyone?

According to a report by the American Broadcasting Corporation on June 30, due to terrorist attack alerts, several US military bases in Europe were put on high alert. Since the outbreak of this round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, anti-US armed forces in the Middle East have launched hundreds of attacks on US military bases in order to support Hamas and drive out Western occupation forces.

It is reported that the US military divides external threats into five levels from low to high. This time, the US military bases in Europe and the United States raised the danger level to the second highest, indicating that "terrorist attacks against US military personnel or facilities may occur."

Foreign media pointed out that the U.S. military has enjoyed more than 10 years of peace in Europe, and it is rare to be facing such a severe enemy.

A US military helicopter in Europe flies in the sunset. Photo/USA Today website

The Times said that the European Cup finals and the Paris Olympics will be held in mid-to-late July. In order to prevent terrorist attacks, nearly 70,000 police officers from Germany and France are on high alert. It is reported that the two countries have thwarted at least three terrorist plots, two of which were aimed at the terrorist organization "Islamic State". The US military's heightened vigilance may be related to this.

According to Pentagon officials, the Islamic State seems to be making a comeback in recent months, and the security level of US military bases in the Middle East and Africa has long been raised to the highest level.

Not long ago, Major General Vowell, the US military commander in charge of "counter-terrorism" in Syria and Iraq, admitted that the "Islamic State" still poses a threat to global security. The United Nations estimates that there are about 7,000 militants active in Syria and Iraq alone.

Over the past 10 years, the US military has built bases and stationed heavy troops in Syria, Iraq and many African countries in the name of "counter-terrorism", but why can't terrorist organizations be eliminated?

Some analysts pointed out that the American-style "anti-terrorism" believes in the use of force and double standards, diverts trouble to other countries and even takes advantage of other countries' misfortunes, without paying attention to fundamental solutions such as post-war reconstruction, eliminating poverty and ethnic conflicts.

It can be said that the negative effects of the US military’s overseas bases in the Middle East and Africa far outweigh the positive effects on maintaining and promoting regional security and development.

Take Syria as an example. On the one hand, the US military has been plundering resources and weakening the Syrian government's governance capacity. According to the British Morning Star, the US military has stolen 66,000 barrels of crude oil from Syria every day, accounting for more than 80% of the country's total production.

On the other hand, the US military has occupied large tracts of Syrian territory by building bases and supporting pro-US armed forces, and has used these "countries within a country" to detain prisoners. This move not only tramples on Syria's sovereignty, but also poses serious security risks.

The Associated Press said that in Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, the US military has built several bases and set up dozens of detention camps guarded by pro-US armed forces.

However, right under the noses of the US military, these detention camps have become a hotbed for spreading extremist ideas and breeding terrorism.

In January 2022, the US military was active in northeastern Syria. Photo/Associated Press

For example, the largest detention camp, Al-Hol, housed about 70,000 family members of Islamic State militants, 90% of whom were women and children, according to The Washington Post.

Not only is the environment in the camp poor, with a lack of clean food and medical services, it is also secretly controlled by terrorist organizations, turning it into a training camp for spreading violence and hatred and cultivating a new generation of terrorists.

In response, the US turned a blind eye and allowed the situation to develop malignantly. In early 2022, terrorists raided another detention camp and rescued a large number of accomplices.

Afterwards, the US became alert and searched the Hall detention camp, where they found dozens of tunnels and a large number of weapons and ammunition. However, their solution was to "teach other countries a lesson with arrogance and demand that they repatriate the refugees."

Foreign media reported that as of mid-June, more than 20,000 prisoners had been released or fled from the Hall Detention Camp, most of whom have gone to unknown destinations. The United States does not care how many of them are unidentified potential terrorists.

Another country where the American-style "anti-terrorism" has also failed and been scorned is Africa.

Recently, the New York Times stated that the US military not only failed to contain terrorist organizations, but allowed them to continue to overflow and infiltrate, causing violence and rebellion to spread from inland Africa to coastal areas.

The economic and security crisis caused by the neo-colonialism of the United States and the West has not only triggered regime changes in many African countries, but also ignited the anger of the local people.

Foreign media said that more and more African countries have expressed dissatisfaction with the US practice of linking the provision of security assistance with interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

For example, the United States stopped aid to Niger soon after the military government came to power in July 2023. The Washington Post revealed that the United States also threatened the country: "If you sell uranium ore to America's adversaries, you will be sanctioned." The enraged Nigerien authorities immediately announced the suspension of military cooperation with the United States.

US special forces conduct parachute training in Africa. Photo/CBS

According to Reuters, since 2022, many African countries have issued "eviction orders" to US and Western troops. In the past three months, Chad and Niger have asked US troops to leave.

Colonel Fentress, commander of the U.S. Special Forces in Africa, admitted that "it is difficult for us to gain trust throughout Africa, especially in West Africa."

Palmer, a senior U.S. diplomat, pointed out that the U.S. side "provides funding for local power facilities and water conservancy projects, which is more useful than building a military base."

Turning our attention back to the Asia-Pacific region, the huge US military base complex in Okinawa, Japan, occupies nearly 15% of the island's total area, with about 30,000 US troops stationed there.

Japan's Mainichi Shimbun reported on June 29 that Okinawa police arrested a U.S. Marine in late May on suspicion of violence causing injury, and another U.S. Air Force soldier was also charged with kidnapping and injuring a girl last year.

A U.S. military transport plane takes off from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. Photo/Reuters

Foreign media found that hundreds of people have been injured by the US military in Okinawa over the years, but only a few crimes have been made public, which "may have exacerbated the anger of local people."

According to the BBC, as the number of US military bases in the Philippines has increased to nine, many knowledgeable people are deeply worried.

Recently, Lambino, chairman of the Philippine Association for China Understanding, pointed out that the US military base "is a big problem." He also quoted former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, saying that this "may very likely turn the Philippines into a battlefield."

According to Time magazine, when the U.S. military withdrew in 1992, it left behind tens of thousands of American-Filipino mixed-race children. If their descendants are included, this group that suffers from discrimination and exclusion has reached hundreds of thousands of people. In addition, the problems caused by the U.S. military in those years, such as plundering indigenous lands, abusing children, and toxic waste pollution, still plague this island nation.

From facing the threat of terrorist attacks to being repeatedly attacked by anti-US armed forces, from soldiers committing crimes and arousing public outrage to being protested and driven away by the host countries, the US military's overseas bases are now in a situation where everyone is calling for them to be punished. It can be said that evil will be punished and the blame is self-inflicted. All of this is due to the United States' long-term pursuit of unilateralism and stubborn adherence to the Cold War mentality.