David Vine is assistant professor of anthropology at American University in Washington, DC, the author of Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia (Princeton University Press, 2009), and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.
Latest
Let the People of Diego Garcia Return to their Homeland
After 40 years of exile and too many broken hearts, it’s long past time we let the Chagossians go home.
How Contractors Got Billions for Bases
The Pentagon controls a huge collection of global military bases. The question is: Who is benefiting?
The Cost of Occupying Planet Earth
Even a conservative estimate of the true costs of garrisoning the globe comes to an annual total of about $170 billion–or maybe even more.
The Lily-Pad Strategy
Professor Vine addresses the status of American military bases, or “lily pads,” which exist in every continent and the economic and political implications of continued global military dominance.
Nothing “Off-base” About Ron Paul’s Estimates of U.S. Bases Overseas
Whatever one thinks of Paul’s candidacy, he has been raising legitimate and oft-ignored questions about U.S. military bases and troops abroad.
Bipartisan Strategy Takes Shape To Close Overseas U.S. Bases
Within America, there exists a wide-spread outcry to call attention to the expense of military bases abroad–an issue which has the ability to receive support from both the right and the left.
Jeju Island Activist Sung-Hee Choi Interviewed in Prison
Choi was arrested for her attempts to prevent the construction of a naval base in Jeju’s Gangjeong Village, a base that many suspect would become a new port for the U.S. Navy.
One Group of Students Proves Immune to Bin Laden-Death Fever
To some students celebrations over bin Laden’s death are more evidence of America’s militarization.
Smearing Japan
A State Department official resigned after describing Okinawans as “extortionists” and “lazy.” Here’s the story behind the story.
WikiLeaks Cables Reveal Use of Environmentalism by US and UK as Pretext to Keep Natives From Returning to Diego Garcia
U.S. and U.K. cables show contempt in which natives of Diego Garcia are held.
Metropolitan Diary (Apologies to Times): Military Groupies Merrily Convene in D.C.
A vignette from the annual conference of something called the Association of the United States Army.
U.S. Men’s World Cup Team Rides a Wave of Jingoism
The U.S. Men’s World Cup victories are not signs of some unique “American character” that we have and that no one else possesses.
Getting Beyond the Usual Suspects on Foreign Policy
We need to make the usual suspects in foreign policy expertise more reflective of the nation’s diversity.
Environmental Protection of Bases?
The new marine protection area in the Indian Ocean seems like a great step forward. Until you look at it a little more carefully.
Marine Protection as Empire Expansion
The Bush administration used marine protection as a cover for consolidating U.S. bases in the Pacific. The new president must reverse this policy.
Battle Over Bases
Rumsfeld had dreams of radically rearranging the U.S. empire of bases. Here’s what happened instead.
Too Many Overseas Bases
In addition to freeing money to meet critical human needs at home and abroad, closing overseas bases would help rebuild the U.S. military.
The Other Guantanamo
While Gitmo gets most of the ink, the U.S. base on Diego Garcia quietly prepares for a role in staging a possible attack on Iran.