Suchergebnisse

Argues that the recent silencing of US propaganda about the "war on terror" in the Sahara is the result of widespread anger & political instability created by US intervention in the Sahel (especially Niger & Mali) & the deterioration of US relations with Algeria, once an ally in the fabrication of the Saharan front. Attention is also given to the corrupt & illegal activities of the US Halliburton Company in Algeria & the cessation of construction of a large US military base in the middle of the Sahara. Adapted from the source document.

This article examines the extent to which changes in distributional benefits influence congressional election outcomes. Although conventional wisdom holds that a direct link exists between distributional benefits and electoral outcomes (Mayhew 1974b), recent evidence suggests that this link only exists under certain circumstances (Stein and Bickers 1994). In this article, I use 1995 military base closures to test the nature of the relationship. Contrary to recent research on the politics of pork barreling, my findings indicate support for a direct relationship between major base realignments and closures and House electoral outcomes. Specifically, major realignments and closures significantly decreased first‐year Democrats' vote margins in the 1996 House elections.

This paper explores the issues of "privatization in place" versus public enterprise with regard to military base redevelopment. Three case studies are used to examine three research proposals having to do with public involvement, market solutions and policy outcomes. We find that while politically popular, privatization provides little in the way of civilian job creation and income replacement at former military bases. Instead, the case of Alexandria, Louisiana, supports the idea that public enterprise authorities can and do provide economic recovery for their communities. The federal government seems to agree given that privatization was not an option for base conversions in the 2005 closure round.

The Department of Defense (DoD) operates an extensive system of retail activities at military bases for active duty, retired, and reserve personnel and their families. DoD stores employ 96,000 civilian workers and sell $14 billion of goods and services annually at below‐market prices. DoD resists efforts to reduce its role in retail activities, arguing that even within the United States stores with below‐market prices are a cost‐effective alternative to higher cash compensation for military personnel. This article examines the budgetary incentives that make inefficient, government‐operated stores attractive to DoD and describes options that would change those incentives. Because most of DoD's retail stores are controlled by nonappropriated fund instrumentalities of the federal government, reforming those incentives could require changes in the treatment of these poorly understood federal entities.

This article examines the existence of the US Military Bases in Clark and Subic, Philippines vis-à-vis the Philippine economy in terms of the size and impact of base related spending and the potential for enhanced return under existing conditions. Also, whether the presence of US military facilities in the Philippines and the consequent activities of the US government have an impact on economic policy making of the country was also analyzed in this article. In assessing the direct impact of bases spending on the Philippine economy, a comparison between the bases expenditure and GNP and exports was applied. Treatment of the data revealed that the bases expenditure/GNP ratio fell from 45% to 35% in 1985 and 1987 respectively. The analysis revealed a declining trend in the economic importance of the bases to the Philippines which mean that the cost of closing the bases are real but not overwhelming in the long run. The costs involved when the bases are closed, directly affect the economy of the communities surrounding the bases. However, this can be compensated by a sustainable base conversion program. In the final analysis, the effect of closing the bases is not substantial to derail the economy of the Philippines, however, if the role of the government is maximum compensation, it can demand substantial amount from the US government for their bases to be retained here.

What is the relationship between militarized landscapes, especially overseas military bases, and the natural environment? Scholars have noticed that militarized spaces-permanent bases, demilitarized zones, live fire ranges, training areas, historical battlefields and so forth-are often accompanied by de facto nature reserves. Thus, the unparalleled seclusion that militarization imposes upon delineated geographic spaces can create safe havens for plants and animals that would otherwise suffer from human encroachment. Others retort that military activities cause severe damage to the natural environment. In this article, I problematize attempts to evaluate the environmental impact of militarized spaces in a way that divorces the natural environment from the broader web of social and political relations to which military activities belong. In particular, I argue that environmental issues often serve as 'greenwash' to distract attention-lay, scholarly, and official-from the negative aspects of militarism, including instances of environmental degradation, the mistreatment of human subjects, and the perpetuation of colonial forms of government. To illustrate and buttress my argument, I present a detailed case study of the US military base on Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory. Adapted from the source document.