Since 2018, the US has provided “counterterrorism” training or assistance in 79 nations and its troops have carried out bombing or ground attacks in 10 countries, according to a new interactive map. Meanwhile, China has one official overseas base, in Djibouti.
A new report published on Thursday details United States so-called “counterterrorism” operations by the US military in 85 nations since 2018 as part of its “Global War on Terror”, the open-ended post-9/11 campaign that has seen more than half a dozen countries attacked or invaded, hundreds of overseas military bases built, hundreds of thousands of lives lost, and trillions of dollars spent — with no end in sight.
The report — published by the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute and USA Today — features an interactive map showing US military operations on every inhabited continent on Earth, including combat, training, exercises, and bases.
The report states:
“Despite the Pentagon’s assertion that the US is shifting its strategic emphasis away from counterterrorism and towards great power competition with Russia and China, examining US military activity on a country-by-country basis shows that there is yet to be a corresponding drawdown of the counterterror apparatus.”
“If anything, the map demonstrates that counterterrorism operations have become more widespread in recent years.”
According to the report, the US has provided “counterterrorism” training or assistance in 79 nations since 2018, with US troops carrying out bombing or ground attacks in 10 countries — Afghanistan, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen — over the same period.
American forces participated in training exercises in 41 nations over the past three years. Additionally, under “Section 127e” programs, US special operations forces have planned, controlled, and participated in missions in numerous African nations.
Despite recently closing hundreds of bases in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US still maintains nearly 800 overseas military bases on six continents, according to independent research by Base Nation author David Vine. The new report’s interactive map shows how these have proliferated during the post-World War II era, especially in the 21st century.
“Meanwhile,” notes USA Today, “China — considered by many to be the greatest competitor and threat to the US — has only one official overseas base, in Djibouti,” a country in the Horn of Africa that also hosts an American base.
The report then details the approximately $6.4 trillion the US has spent on the never-ending War on Terror, noting annual U.S. military spending of $731.8 billion — or more than the next 10 biggest military spenders combined.
In the section on casualties, the report states that more than 15,000 US troops and contractors, nearly 12,500 allied troops, 177,000 national military and police officers, 1,300 journalists and humanitarian aid workers, nearly 260,000 enemy fighters, and nearly 336,000 civilians have been killed.
Stephanie Savell, co-director of the Costs of War Project and report lead researcher, says:
“The map raises a number of questions. Why is the United States militarily active in so many countries? Are these operations meeting the stated US goals of reducing violence against Americans and/or other civilians around the world?
“If not, what could the US be doing instead? What human rights abuses or other negative consequences do these US engagements have for people who live in these countries? What are the financial implications of this vast expanse of activities?
“Now, as many Americans are calling for an end to ‘endless war,’ the map is a stark reminder that this war stretches far beyond Afghanistan. If the US is truly to end the post-9/11 wars and related activities around the world, then the US public and its leaders must take a broader view of their reach.”
Republished from Common Dreams under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.
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Comments
16 responses to “Two decades after 9/11, US war machine is in 85 countries”
If the US military is in 85 countries, does it mean we can fairly call the US an imperial power? Like Rome?
PRC not only has only one overseas base but the vaccination roll out in the the Philippines starts today. 600,000 doses from Sinovac arrived in Manila today. This is the start of the Philippines’ vaccination program. This aid was donated by PRC. Ask a poor Filipino what they want. Protection from a pandemic or another US military base with its brothels, rapes and national humiliation. Why doesnt the Aaustralian media run a piece on this? Where is Peter Hartcher when we need him? ABC? Anyone?
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/02/26/news/latest-stories/china-donated-vaccines-to-arrive-in-philippines-on-sunday-embassy/845672/
600,000 doses from Sinovac arrived in Manila.
searched the above in google, first two pages showing no sign of Australian media reporting .(stopped)
however https://www.ft.com/content/c20b92f0-d670-47ea-a217-add1d6ef2fbd
and we wonder where/why western civilization is failing.
Australia has ordered enough vaccine to innoculate its population three times. And nothing for the poor of Asia. Morrison can sit his arse in as many F 35’s as he likes. People in Asia will draw their own conclusions in regard to the country that cared about their poor. And Australia that didnt.
Australia has ordered enough vaccine to innoculate its population three times. And nothing for the poor of Asia. Morrison can sit his arse in as many F 35’s as he likes. People in Asia will draw their own conclusions in regard to the country that cared about their poor. And Australia that didnt.
Notice how the Western media calls it ‘vaccine diplomacy’ when China and Russia are the suppliers of the much needed vaccines. As if ‘diplomacy’ is some sort of threat to the interests of the Western powers.
The facts on the ground don’t change. US, Western Europe and Australia are hoarding all the vaccines for themselves, and leave nothing for the poor non-Western folks. I don’t hear Western leaders screaming ‘Human Rights’ for the same poor folks who are being saved by Chinese and Russian vaccines!
Duterte has had a press conference on the arrival of the donated Sinovac. He expressed his gratitude to the PRC. The roll out starts tomorrow in the Philippines. Lives will be saved. Australia has donated nothing. Thanks for nothing. The US has donated nothing. The Quad and Five Eyes have donated nothing. The people of the Philippines wont forget.
https://www.manilatimes.net/
Since the credibility of an opinion is related to its author, why don’t you respect the reader and the author, and say who wrote this? (Brett Wilkins). This is an obligation under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License granted by Common Dreams for you to reprint. I’ve raisef this before, it’s unprofessional and devalues P & I.
Nothing is being said here that is in any way controversial, so it matters little who says it. And as for your premise, that it is the author rather than the publication that creates credibility, this is patently false. It is usually the other way round.
Nevertheless, I agree with Kevin that it is important. I am sure the name’s absence is not from any paranoia or desire for secrecy by P&I, though I can’t speculate what the reason may be. Accidental oversight is a possibility. Brett’s name is published on the Common Dreams website.
I read somewhere that the US has only ever enjoyed a decade or so of peace since its founding, I.E it has been fighting someone somewhere for almost its entire existence.
America HAS to keep this up otherwise their whole economy would collapse.