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Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World (American Empire Project) Hardcover – August 25, 2015
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From Italy to the Indian Ocean, from Japan to Honduras, a far-reaching examination of the perils of American military bases overseas
American military bases encircle the globe. More than two decades after the end of the Cold War, the U.S. still stations its troops at nearly a thousand locations in foreign lands. These bases are usually taken for granted or overlooked entirely, a little-noticed part of the Pentagon's vast operations. But in an eye-opening account, Base Nation shows that the worldwide network of bases brings with it a panoply of ills―and actually makes the nation less safe in the long run.
As David Vine demonstrates, the overseas bases raise geopolitical tensions and provoke widespread antipathy towards the United States. They also undermine American democratic ideals, pushing the U.S. into partnerships with dictators and perpetuating a system of second-class citizenship in territories like Guam. They breed sexual violence, destroy the environment, and damage local economies. And their financial cost is staggering: though the Pentagon underplays the numbers, Vine's accounting proves that the bill approaches $100 billion per year.
For many decades, the need for overseas bases has been a quasi-religious dictum of U.S. foreign policy. But in recent years, a bipartisan coalition has finally started to question this conventional wisdom. With the U.S. withdrawing from Afghanistan and ending thirteen years of war, there is no better time to re-examine the tenets of our military strategy. Base Nation is an essential contribution to that debate.
- Print length432 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMetropolitan Books
- Publication dateAugust 25, 2015
- Dimensions6 x 1.12 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101627791698
- ISBN-13978-1627791694
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Editorial Reviews
Review
A WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER
“A useful call to examine a question that gets far less attention than it merits… An entreaty for an explanation, a discussion in plain language, about what the U.S. military is doing in so many places in the world and why.”
―The Washington Post
"U.S. national security policy rests on the assertion that 'forward presence' contributes directly to global peace and security. In this powerful book, David Vine examines, dismantles, and disproves that claim. He demonstrates that America's sprawling network of overseas bases imposes costs―not only financial but also political, environmental, and moral―that far exceed what the Pentagon is prepared to acknowledge. Base Nation offers a devastating critique, and no doubt Washington will try to ignore it. Citizens should refuse to let that happen.”
―Andrew J. Bacevich, author of Limits of Power and Breach of Trust
“Who knew that we have more than eight hundred bases around the world? And what do our troops do there when they're not busy intruding into other people's conflicts? Such questions lie at the heart of David Vine's remarkable, impeccably written, and clearheaded analysis of the costly madness that is America's current colonial-military complex. His book is a marvel, and all in power should read it.”
―Simon Winchester, author of Atlantic and The Men Who United the States
“Just looking at the maps in David Vine's thoroughly documented Base Nation will give you the chills―and seduce you into reading the book. He's performed a kind of modern day treasure hunt, finding and displaying our military forces all over the globe, and then thinking deeply about whether their far-flung presence will achieve or undermine the goal of fostering a peaceful and prosperous world.”
―Dana Priest, coauthor of Top Secret America
“While I may not share all of David Vine's conclusions, Base Nation amply demonstrates what a growing number of people across the political spectrum are concluding: the foundation of our military belongs right here on American soil. In the U.S. Senate, I pushed for greater investment in our bases here at home where our forces have greater unrestricted training opportunities and can rapidly deploy worldwide better prepared for combat. Pentagon officials and members of Congress should pay close attention to Vine's arguments in favor of reducing our foreign presence in the interest of strengthening the future security posture of U.S. military forces and the fiscal health of our nation.”
―Kay Bailey Hutchison, former U.S. senator (R-TX) and chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Military Construction
About the Author
David Vine is the author of Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia and an associate professor of anthropology at American University in Washington, D.C. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Mother Jones, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among other publications. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Product details
- Publisher : Metropolitan Books; First Edition (August 25, 2015)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 432 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1627791698
- ISBN-13 : 978-1627791694
- Item Weight : 1.4 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.12 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #538,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #174 in Military Policy (Books)
- #443 in Iraq War History (Books)
- #605 in National & International Security (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

David Vine is Professor of political anthropology at American University in Washington, DC. David’s newest book, "The United States of War: A Global History of America’s Endless Conflicts, from Columbus to the Islamic State," just launched with the University of California Press. "The United States of War" is the third in a trilogy of books about U.S. wars and struggles to make the United States and the world less violent and more peaceful. The other books in the trilogy are "Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia" and "Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World."
David’s other writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Politico, Mother Jones, Boston Globe, and the Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. With the Network for Concerned Anthropologists, David has helped write and compile two books: "The Counter-Counterinsurgency Manual or, Notes on Demilitarizing American Society" and "Militarization: A Reader." David is honored to be a board member of the Costs of War Project and a co-founder of the Overseas Base Realignment and Closure Coalition (OBRACC). He is a contributor to TomDispatch.com and Foreign Policy in Focus.
As a believer in the importance of public education systems (apologies to American University), David is proud to have received his PhD and MA degrees from the City University of New York’s Graduate Center. There, David developed an approach to a holistic anthropology that attempts to combine the best of anthropology, history, political science, economics, sociology, and psychology.
All royalties from David’s books and all speaker honoraria are donated to the exiled Chagossian people and to non-profit organizations serving veterans and other victims of war. David feels at home in many places but has lived for much of his life in New York City, Oakland, and the Washington, DC area, where he was briefly a dancing waiter.
See davidvine.net and basenation.us for more information.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book well-researched and interesting. They appreciate its history and value for money. However, some readers feel the pacing is repetitive and dull.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book well-researched and interesting. They say it's a must-read for anyone interested in current events. The book provides great information with detailed analysis and data.
"...Clearly a labor of love this book is well written and ranges from solid facts to the stories of individuals impacted in various ways by US bases...." Read more
"Excellent reading, very detailed work by David Vine on what the USA is doing around the world and how much damage is causing in the name of homeland..." Read more
"...Mr. Vine has an impressive amount of research which one day will translate into a great story about the life cycle of US bases in the 20th and 21st..." Read more
"...Johnson, again, does better. Nevertheless, as a good follow-up to “Nemesis,” Vine is more than worth the candle...." Read more
Customers appreciate the history. They find it helps explain why many people dislike the US and provides an impressive overview of US military bases since WWII.
"Impressive history of US military bases since roughly WWII...." Read more
"A bit of our history that begins to make clear why much of the world hates us. Great price, prompt delivery!" Read more
"Excellent read. Very comprehensive. Excellent re history and US defense policy. Up to date on current strategy." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They say it provides valuable insights into US policy and is worth reading.
"...It is worth reading as well for the millions of people who have provided service in our armed forces--it helped me to understand and think about..." Read more
"...Nevertheless, as a good follow-up to “Nemesis,” Vine is more than worth the candle...." Read more
"...Great price, prompt delivery!" Read more
Customers find the pacing of the book boring and repetitive. They say it's dull and unengaging, with an amateurish work that jumps from subject to subject.
"...However, he's wasted this voluminous amount of data on an amateurish work that jumps from subject to subject without clearly answering or defining..." Read more
"...Overall, a very dull and unengaging read." Read more
"Boring, repetitive" Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2017This is a must read book for anyone who wants to understand current politics in the United States. Whether you are red or blue, left or right you will find this incredibly well researched book to be of considerable value when considering US policy and leadership options. It is worth reading as well for the millions of people who have provided service in our armed forces--it helped me to understand and think about the nature of our current defense strategy. Clearly a labor of love this book is well written and ranges from solid facts to the stories of individuals impacted in various ways by US bases. Get it, read it, and then reconsider your world view on what is and is not making america great and safe again.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2023David Vine exposes the wanton wasteful spending by Congressional military investors and Pantagon's budgets through KBR, Inc., ITT, Lockheed Martin and others. The total U.S. military budget provided for 800 bases and a myriad of spending abroad. Presenting a total of $168,769,714522 carte blanche. With data from 2011 to 2015.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2015I have been in contact with the author who I know since a long time. I commented that i likd the book very much and made a comment that hadn't mentioned the many US installations in the North.( Iceland, Norway, and US/Nato wartrainings in the northern Sweden.)
I live in Sweden and follow US/Nato intruding and base constructions, mostly radarbases, in northern Norway and the huge Nato war trainings, almost on daily bases, in the North of Sweden and in the Baltic Sea. Russia is now totally incircled which is very dangerous and threatening to World Peace..
Friendly, Agneta Norberg, Vice Chair Swedish Peace Council, www.frednu.se & member of Global Network Against Nuclear Weapons and Power in Space.www.space4peace.org
- Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2015Excellent reading, very detailed work by David Vine on what the USA is doing around the world and how much damage is causing in the name of homeland security and the incredible amount of. money is costing the taxpayers. I think everybody should read this book to understand why so many people around the world has a distaste for American foreign policy.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2022Es poco lo leído pero interesante . Letras muy pequeñas lo demás muy bien
- Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2016Should be read by all American taxpayers with an interest in world affairs. What are we getting as the world cop? And who benefits the most? Is it we citizens? Or we the corporations? And what are the long-term consequences?
- Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2023750 or more US military bases paying rent for temporary housing and golf courts in far away places? Who knew? Cut the fat!!!!!
- Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2018The author just scratches the surface of the issues that really matter (is forward basing a harm or benefit). Mr. Vine is on the right path, but meanders around subjects and throw in third rate references and stories, then reference them again and again, as if they mean something. Throughout the book there are references to speeches by sergeants, majors, and lieutenant colonels with no clear idea of their title or position. Any one who has spent more than a day or two around the military knows that rarely are sergeants, majors, or lieutenant colonels privy to or able to discuss the types of details in the book with any type of authority.
Mr. Vine has an impressive amount of research which one day will translate into a great story about the life cycle of US bases in the 20th and 21st centuries. However, he's wasted this voluminous amount of data on an amateurish work that jumps from subject to subject without clearly answering or defining what he's doing. In the final chapter he tries to wrap it all up with a nice thesis statement, but it falls apart because the book was not written that way. It's really a bunch of stories of varying relevancy about US bases with many pointless stories in between. He has several real gems hidden in the book, but they are not brought to light, but glossed over.
The other major blind spot of this book is the failure to include any real information or data from the nations that host US bases abroad. He could have easily tapped into the German, Korean, Philippines, Japanese, or Panamanian government or other primary sources for their studies of what happens when the US military departs an area. Each country has experienced a mass departure of US forces int the past 25 years and there are reams of data in each country looking up, down and sideways and the problem.. I applaud him for the effort, but the book needs more structure and the other side of the coin needs to be explored to make this book of value for future academics, sociologist, government bureaucrats, and those who study the military.
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on November 16, 20175.0 out of 5 stars ... book arrived when it was promised and is in excellent condition. A must read for anyone interested in ...
This very revealing and interesting book arrived when it was promised and is in excellent condition. A must read for anyone interested in the past, present and future.
NteloReviewed in Germany on April 6, 20195.0 out of 5 stars Must read!
You have to read this book if you want to be fair to the world.
DUBLXXReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 20173.0 out of 5 stars It's just OK....
Fairly comprehensive but seems to be censored or just lacking location details.
OReviewed in Canada on March 4, 20231.0 out of 5 stars Hardcover binding is very poor
The binding cracked and exposed as soon as i opened the book without even reading yet.
The content material of this book is 100/100 though.