The U.S. maintains a vast global network of military bases, driven by a blend of deterrence, profit, and capitalist ideology. This militarization feeds an enormous economic sector while fueling resentment, particularly due to its colonial roots and the forceful expansion of American interests. While threats are often exaggerated, the constant military spending benefits industry and political lobbies, turning war into a self-sustaining business, detached from democratic oversight.
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The United States has 750 military bases scattered around the world, practically everywhere except the poles. Among the most emblematic is the one on the island of Chagos, which, despite its name, is a picturesque little island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, whose inhabitants were deported en masse to make way for American missiles. One of many colonial leftovers, and there are still people who wonder where the resentment towards white men comes from. The U.S. constantly opens and closes military bases, depending on the imaginary threats they perceive. Even the war in Ukraine is, in the end, a matter of military bases: the U.S. convinced its NATO underlings to expand eastward to place bases within sight of Moscow. Putin reacted, and propaganda portrayed him as the aggressor. But if Russia had tried to place bases in Mexico, the U.S. would have rained down atomic bombs.
The vast network of American military bases serves several more or less sensible purposes. It acts as a deterrent, keeping strategic enemies under pressure. It reinforces America’s status as a superpower, asserting its leadership through military force and money. It allows for quick intervention during crises, with bases ready to deploy men and equipment when needed. It also helps maintain relations with host countries, whether they like it or not, under the protective wing of the empire.
There are also political reasons, such as ensuring friendly governments, though we’ll leave that to the conspiracy theorists and focus on more obvious motives. The bases also serve to protect and support trade routes, much like in the age of sail, as seen with the Houthis in Yemen, who attack cargo ships and are met with U.S.-made missiles delivered straight from local bases. The branches of the world’s most powerful army thus act as the bodyguard of multinational corporations, a sort of armed wing of American capitalism abroad.
Yet, every year, the U.S. spends around 900 billion dollars on military expenses—40% of the world’s total. These are staggering figures, and there must be deeper reasons for such absurdity. American citizens lack basic rights like healthcare and education, and their society is torn apart by the absence of a social safety net. Yet, no matter who governs, military spending keeps rising to insane levels. And this happens even though the only real global threat is the United States itself, a country that’s been at war since its inception. In the last few decades, as self-proclaimed world sheriffs, they’ve caused all kinds of chaos. At present, no one matches their firepower. China spends a third of what the U.S. does, despite being four times its size, while Russia spends about 100 billion, nine times less. The supposed threats the U.S. sees everywhere are imaginary, the usual security nonsense coming from the most dangerous player.
Any excuse is good enough to set up a base or even start a conflict, just to empty stockpiles and make way for the new collections. That’s the bottom line. The military is a massive economic sector in the U.S.—the army, its services, and the production and sale of weapons provide millions of jobs and generate insane profits for the industry and the finance sector backing it. The true reason behind the grotesque militarization is the usual: profit, or rather the capitalist ideology driving that country and the entire West. It’s a ravenous ideology that overrides everything, including logic and common sense. In the U.S., and increasingly in our own countries, war has become a monstrous machine that operates autonomously, independent of the popular will, a state affair beyond democratic squabbles. Mega-lobbies buy up every political faction, waiting for the perfect excuse to jump from one conflict, and therefore one business deal, to the next. And yet, there are still people who wonder where the resentment towards white men comes from.
