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against militant Islamic terrorism, the U.S. is creating new military bases in countries
ranging from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Iraq. What our research
indicates is that if the U.S. considers an ongoing military presence in these areas to be
necessary to its own national security, it must try to get the locals on its side.
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When a
wide variety of local actors benefit from the U.S. basing presence, anti-base protestors
and local politicians will have a harder time making a successful case.
Simultaneously, our findings have something to teach anti-base Okinawan activists, as
well. If they want to get rid of the U.S. bases and their associated social, environmental,
and safety problems, then they must find a way to satisfy the interests of the triangle that
supports the base presence. Fundamentally, it is the political economy of base bargains
that supports the ongoing U.S. presence in Okinawa.
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Alexander Cooley and Kimberly Zisk Marten, “Lessons of Okinawa,” New York Times, July 30, 2003.
Convention