By the end of 2011,the US had closed all hard military bases in Iraq,but its“soft”military presence remained using private security contractors,military and intelligent officers located in the US embassy and in US c...By the end of 2011,the US had closed all hard military bases in Iraq,but its“soft”military presence remained using private security contractors,military and intelligent officers located in the US embassy and in US consulates,US military training officers and consultants,and deployed special operation forces.Such soft military presence is of great importance and significance.At the national level,it helps Washington to stabilize and control the Iraqi situation;at the regional level,it can secure a strategic balance between Shi’a and Sunni sectors,which is essential for the US to respond to a rising nuclear Iran;at the global level,this soft military presence helps to cut US military expenditure and shift its strategic focus from the Greater Middle East to the Asia-Pacific regions.The soft military presence in Iraq reflects Obama’s“New Thinking”Doctrine on military deployment in the Middle East,which resembles lily-pads with stronger mobilization and flexibility.展开更多
Foreign military bases are the important means for power projection.In Africa,military bases represent the symbol of France’s sphere of influence,which have strengthened France’s protection of her economic,political...Foreign military bases are the important means for power projection.In Africa,military bases represent the symbol of France’s sphere of influence,which have strengthened France’s protection of her economic,political,cultural,overseas national and security interests.The bases are of great significance to enhance French intervention capabilities,making France the most influential external power in the African continent.After the upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011,France will likely want to return to North Africa militarily and seek to restore a military presence in the region within a multilateral framework,with the objective of linking her domestic Toulon naval base with her military presence in North Africa,Gabon,the Ivory Coast,Djibouti,and Abu Dhabi,thus making France a dominant player in the“Arc of Instability”which extends from West Africa to the Persian Gulf.展开更多
Since the end of the Gulf War in 1991,the US military bases in the GCC states have evolved functionally from the dual containment of Iran and Iraq to the consolidation of its predominance in the Gulf region.Since the ...Since the end of the Gulf War in 1991,the US military bases in the GCC states have evolved functionally from the dual containment of Iran and Iraq to the consolidation of its predominance in the Gulf region.Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks,the US readjustment of its military bases in the GCC states features two attributes.First,the task of the bases has transformed from fighting the Iraq War to the more complex and enduring tasks of maintaining the Gulf security,countering terrorists and containing Iran.Second,the major military base deployment has shifted from Saudi Arabia to Qatar,Bahrain and other GCC states,so a multi-faceted security mechanism under the US leadership has taken shape,which has overshadowed the Iranian-proposed collective security appeal.In Obama’s presidency,the deployment of the US military bases in the GCC states has revealed five new and distinct features,i.e.the bases are extending geographically,diminishing in size,increasingly approaching the potential enemies,strong in mobility and being gradually interlinked with other bases in Central Asia,Turkey and Djibouti.展开更多
基金This research is the product of Chinese Ministry of Education Key Research program“Western Powers’Military Bases in the Middle East after the End of the Cold War”(10JJDGJW022)This article was also funded by the Chinese Ministry of Education Key Research Program“Islamic Middle East Region and the Transition of International System”(08JZD0039)the Academic Innovation Team of Shanghai International Studies University(“Big Powers’Middle East Security Strategies Since 1991”).
文摘By the end of 2011,the US had closed all hard military bases in Iraq,but its“soft”military presence remained using private security contractors,military and intelligent officers located in the US embassy and in US consulates,US military training officers and consultants,and deployed special operation forces.Such soft military presence is of great importance and significance.At the national level,it helps Washington to stabilize and control the Iraqi situation;at the regional level,it can secure a strategic balance between Shi’a and Sunni sectors,which is essential for the US to respond to a rising nuclear Iran;at the global level,this soft military presence helps to cut US military expenditure and shift its strategic focus from the Greater Middle East to the Asia-Pacific regions.The soft military presence in Iraq reflects Obama’s“New Thinking”Doctrine on military deployment in the Middle East,which resembles lily-pads with stronger mobilization and flexibility.
基金This research is the product of Chinese Educational Ministry program“Western Powers’Military Bases in the Middle East since the End of the Cold War”(10JJDGJW022)It is also jointly funded by the“Academic Innovation Team”of Shanghai International Studies University(“Big Powers’Middle East Security Strategies Since 1991”)+1 种基金the Shanghai International Studies University“211”program(Stage III)the Key Discipline of Shanghai(B702).
文摘Foreign military bases are the important means for power projection.In Africa,military bases represent the symbol of France’s sphere of influence,which have strengthened France’s protection of her economic,political,cultural,overseas national and security interests.The bases are of great significance to enhance French intervention capabilities,making France the most influential external power in the African continent.After the upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011,France will likely want to return to North Africa militarily and seek to restore a military presence in the region within a multilateral framework,with the objective of linking her domestic Toulon naval base with her military presence in North Africa,Gabon,the Ivory Coast,Djibouti,and Abu Dhabi,thus making France a dominant player in the“Arc of Instability”which extends from West Africa to the Persian Gulf.
基金the product of Chinese Educational Ministry program“Western Powers’Military Bases in the Middle East after the End of the Cold War”(10JJDGJW022)It is also funded by the Shanghai International Studies University“211”program(StageⅢ)the Key Discipline of Shanghai(B702).The author would like to thank Mr.DENG Haipeng for his great assistance on the paper。
文摘Since the end of the Gulf War in 1991,the US military bases in the GCC states have evolved functionally from the dual containment of Iran and Iraq to the consolidation of its predominance in the Gulf region.Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks,the US readjustment of its military bases in the GCC states features two attributes.First,the task of the bases has transformed from fighting the Iraq War to the more complex and enduring tasks of maintaining the Gulf security,countering terrorists and containing Iran.Second,the major military base deployment has shifted from Saudi Arabia to Qatar,Bahrain and other GCC states,so a multi-faceted security mechanism under the US leadership has taken shape,which has overshadowed the Iranian-proposed collective security appeal.In Obama’s presidency,the deployment of the US military bases in the GCC states has revealed five new and distinct features,i.e.the bases are extending geographically,diminishing in size,increasingly approaching the potential enemies,strong in mobility and being gradually interlinked with other bases in Central Asia,Turkey and Djibouti.
