Autonomous geographies in the anti-US military base movements

Fois, F; Paragano, D

Abstract

The construction of a military base in a foreign country paints a portrait
of international relationships based on a top-down decision-making process.
Despite the huge academic and political debate about the importance of a participative
approach to public space management and the “right to spaces,” the
construction of a military base location instead shows a vertical and imposed
approach. Many cases and different studies show that local communities often
refuse these kinds of projects. Especially in developed countries and militarized
regions, new military projects can create social turmoil. Notwithstanding
its global aim, the military base location has in the local scale its main element.
In fact, despite increasing autonomy and self-sustainability, the presence of
particular infrastructural elements and the socio-political atmosphere are fundamental
for locating a military base. Hence, a symbiotic relationship exists
between a (military) base and place, and, consequently, a strong connection
between global and local scales. Any decision on where to locate a military
base is made by global strategic aims, and any local change in terms of relocation
of military bases requires, inevitably, a re-projection of the global
strategic plan. In this framework, the opposition to the military bases seems
to have few possibilities to stop a posture process.

Citation

Fois, F., & Paragano, D. (2011). Autonomous geographies in the anti-US military base movements. Peace Review, 23(3), 313-319. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2011.596055

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Sep 1, 2011
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Mar 20, 2019
• Journal: Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice
• Print ISSN: 1040-2659
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-9982
• Publisher: Routledge
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 313-319
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2011.596055
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2011.596055