> Again, the US has done similar things in the past, hence the numerous US air force bases scattered around the world. It's simply practical to gain soft power,

> Again, the US has done similar things in the past, hence the numerous US air force bases scattered around the world. It's simply practical to gain soft power, and then convert that soft power into harder power. And this is why that strategy is called American Imperialism, also called "a kind of low-grade colonialism" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_imperialism#Empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_imperialism#Empire