Washington's balancing act reflects more than the enduring tensions between pragmatism and idealism in U.S. foreign policy. It highlights the specific strains faced by defense planners as they attempt to maintain the integrity of the United States' worldwide network of military bases, many of which are hosted in authoritarian, politically unstable, and corrupt countries. Now, with the "Arab Spring" unfolding, even U.S. basing agreements with some of its closest allies are vulnerable.
Cooley and Nexon recommend a strategic rethinking of basing policy, to the main effect of distancing the US presence from close identification with unpopular regimes. That's fine and well as far as it goes, although of course host regimes are often looking for patronage opportunities and guarantees of US support. Nevertheless, worth your time...
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