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They served as bases to spread the American culture through music and cinema and later with the industry through the coal and steel community, to create a singl

They served as bases to spread the American culture through music and cinema and later with the industry through the coal and steel community, to create a single and unified market The US did not want to create competition, but to break monopolies and to create a unified market for its industrial complex The remnants of that goal are visible today with Big Tech

ashoeafoot 2y ago
That manchester capitalism with different decorations rhetoric does not hold up to scrutiny. In particular when you hold it against current examples of economic colonialism like the chines lend & own campaign in Africa .
- almaight 2y ago
  Without an army or control over territory, it cannot reach the level of colonization. African countries often default on their debts.
  - ashoeafoot 2y ago
    The army is provided by the local dictator or by playing different ethnic groups against one another.Britain never had enough soldiers to conquer India , but india had. Same for Russia .
WalterBright 2y ago
My dad was part of the occupation of postwar Germany. The bases were there to protect Germany against the Soviets. I remember once on the autobahn around 1970, and a fighter came by hedgehopping at high speed. He was a few feet off the ground, and looked like just under Mach 1. The citizens didn't particularly like the noise and disruption, but they understood the need for the Air Force to train hard. I also remember touring East Berlin (yes, East Berlin) in 1969. Going through Checkpoint Charlie and seeing the Wall is plenty convincing of the need for the US military being there. France, on the other hand, didn't much care for the US military bases and wound up pushing them out. BTW, the US Military was pretty thorough in making sure US personnel and military families behaved like guests in Germany, as they were invited guests. Ever since the Berlin Airlift, the US was friends with Germany. The Americanization of Germany came later. I recall visiting a shopping mall in Germany in the 2000's, and you could not tell you were in Germany rather than in any suburb in America. Shopping malls did not exist there in 1970.
- Dalewyn 2y ago
  >BTW, the US Military was pretty thorough in making sure US personnel and military families behaved like guests in Germany, as they were invited guests. Ever since the Berlin Airlift, the US was friends with Germany. All the more sad that the chief component of Japanese animosity towards Japan-stationed US forces are sexual crimes, particularly in Okinawa where the Marines especially don't seem to know how to keep their dicks in their pants. There have been at least two incidents just this year if I recall, and that's just of the ones we know. I really can't blame the locals wanting Americans to get the fuck out, security be damned.
  - WalterBright 2y ago
    That is indeed sad. Such crimes against the locals should be severely punished. I found out many years later that if I had committed a crime like shoplifting in Germany, my father would have been cashiered. The military took their guest status very seriously. An officer who could not control his family was not fit to be an officer.
  - adamc 2y ago
    Not saying that is good, but you really have to analyze something like that in terms of rates, not anecdotes. Everywhere you put people there are going to be incidents. I don't blame locals for feeling however they feel. It's their country.
    - Dalewyn 2y ago
      >anecdotes Just so we're clear, I'm talking about cold hard data and the rate is "too many". https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/09/10/okinawa-governor-blasts-us-militarys-lack-of-transparency-sharing-alleged-crimes-troops.html https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/09/10/okinawa-gover... https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us-military/ https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us... https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/sexual-assaults-us-military-japan-prison-unlikely https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/sexual-assault...
  - 2y ago

ashoeafoot 2y ago

That manchester capitalism with different decorations rhetoric does not hold up to scrutiny. In particular when you hold it against current examples of economic colonialism like the chines lend & own campaign in Africa .

almaight 2y ago
Without an army or control over territory, it cannot reach the level of colonization. African countries often default on their debts.
- ashoeafoot 2y ago
  The army is provided by the local dictator or by playing different ethnic groups against one another.Britain never had enough soldiers to conquer India , but india had. Same for Russia .

WalterBright 2y ago

My dad was part of the occupation of postwar Germany. The bases were there to protect Germany against the Soviets. I remember once on the autobahn around 1970, and a fighter came by hedgehopping at high speed. He was a few feet off the ground, and looked like just under Mach 1. The citizens didn't particularly like the noise and disruption, but they understood the need for the Air Force to train hard. I also remember touring East Berlin (yes, East Berlin) in 1969. Going through Checkpoint Charlie and seeing the Wall is plenty convincing of the need for the US military being there. France, on the other hand, didn't much care for the US military bases and wound up pushing them out. BTW, the US Military was pretty thorough in making sure US personnel and military families behaved like guests in Germany, as they were invited guests. Ever since the Berlin Airlift, the US was friends with Germany. The Americanization of Germany came later. I recall visiting a shopping mall in Germany in the 2000's, and you could not tell you were in Germany rather than in any suburb in America. Shopping malls did not exist there in 1970.

Dalewyn 2y ago
>BTW, the US Military was pretty thorough in making sure US personnel and military families behaved like guests in Germany, as they were invited guests. Ever since the Berlin Airlift, the US was friends with Germany. All the more sad that the chief component of Japanese animosity towards Japan-stationed US forces are sexual crimes, particularly in Okinawa where the Marines especially don't seem to know how to keep their dicks in their pants. There have been at least two incidents just this year if I recall, and that's just of the ones we know. I really can't blame the locals wanting Americans to get the fuck out, security be damned.
- WalterBright 2y ago
  That is indeed sad. Such crimes against the locals should be severely punished. I found out many years later that if I had committed a crime like shoplifting in Germany, my father would have been cashiered. The military took their guest status very seriously. An officer who could not control his family was not fit to be an officer.
- adamc 2y ago
  Not saying that is good, but you really have to analyze something like that in terms of rates, not anecdotes. Everywhere you put people there are going to be incidents. I don't blame locals for feeling however they feel. It's their country.
  - Dalewyn 2y ago
    >anecdotes Just so we're clear, I'm talking about cold hard data and the rate is "too many". https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/09/10/okinawa-governor-blasts-us-militarys-lack-of-transparency-sharing-alleged-crimes-troops.html https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/09/10/okinawa-gover... https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us-military/ https://theintercept.com/2021/10/03/okinawa-sexual-crimes-us... https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/sexual-assaults-us-military-japan-prison-unlikely https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/sexual-assault...
- 2y ago