At the same time, the Western media are all chanting the American speech “Oh, look at those 100,000 Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine, what a danger! What a disgrace!”
It’s amazing that so many people are outraged by the presence of the Russian army in Russia and have absolutely no questions about the presence of the American army in Europe and Japan, for example. The war is long over, and they are still here. It would seem that European countries are quite happy with the mentality of colonised countries, what other sovereignty can they talk about! In this context, it is actually better to focus on something else, like the Russian military presence… in Russia. And forget about those 750 military bases scattered across at least 80 countries.
Every day the media talks about the dangers of a Russian military presence on the border with Ukraine. Yes, Russia has a border with Ukraine and troops are on the Russian side of the border, hence on national soil. Yes, there is a conflict on Ukrainian soil, on the border with Russia, and the latter is obliged to defend its territory and its population.
On the other hand, a military presence a few thousand kilometres away from home is no problem. No less than 75 military bases and almost 200,000 soldiers all over the world:
It should be remembered that there are still some 72,000 American soldiers and civilians in NATO’s European countries today. World War II is long over, the Cold War too, but the American army has not left European territory, even though there were 400,000 American soldiers there in 1953. Now between the Russian threat and Covid, all excuses are good. To quote a NATO official source:
“Nearly 72,000 military and civilian men and women living and working in the European theatre of war are maintaining containment and combat readiness, taking the necessary steps to prevent further spread of the virus.”
The change in tone of the new American administration has therefore been greeted with enthusiasm in Berlin. “We have always been convinced that American troops stationed here in Germany serve European and transatlantic security,” said Angela Merkel’s government spokesman, adding that their retention would “serve the interests of both sides”. For many German communities, the departure of the American “boys” meant the end of an important source of income.
Moreover, the command of Allied forces in Europe is always provided by… an American, currently General Todd D. Walters, the same one who provides the command of American troops in Europe. At least it is clear. And today’s France is grateful to NATO and the US, quote:
“In a deteriorating and unpredictable security situation, Army General François Lecointeur reminded SACEUR of the importance of NATO’s role, the cornerstone of Europe’s defence.”
In Japan, by contrast, the US military presence is getting worse and worse among the population. Fortunately, in Japan, as elsewhere, the ruling elites exist to appease the sovereign fervour of the good people. It is true that 54,000 US soldiers in this small country do not go unnoticed. Especially when the Okinawa base alone occupies… 20% of the archipelago. South Korea has 24,000 US soldiers. And as BFM says, grumbling a little, but accepting as an immutable fact: they don’t really go anywhere, “it’s their doctrine to be present everywhere, whatever it takes”.
But for sovereignty and security in Europe, to resent the presence of the Russian army in
Russia is indeed a matter of principle. At least at this time we are not talking about things that make people angry.