Philippines: US military outpost with nuclear capabilities? — RT

I can recall that one of the rationale for closing the US bases in the Philippines was to stay neutral in the cold war and to remove Philippines from the target list of Russia/China in case of a superpower nuclear war at the time. With the collapse of the former USSR, the USA didn’t put up any fuss over the closure of the US bases in the country. It has outlived its usefulness, not expecting that China, the sleeping dragon, would rise and rise big in a flash.

The Philippines is torn between two choices: the USA or China, and for the Philippines to choose an ageing empire that is less than a shadow of its former self is wrong. The USA will remain a military superpower bent on stirring trouble around the world just so it can continue to keep itself in the headlines of relevancy, and this is what the Philippines has chosen to be allied with. China will, on the other hand, continue to rise on all fronts with more emphasis on the economy. Not only does it have to feed 1.5 billion people; it has to keep them satisfied with the way their lives are going…a utopian existence that socialism promises. China has a better economic offer that can uplift the financial bondage that has chained Filipinos for so long. Bringing back the USA’s military bases will not only make us an enemy of China; we will be back to being beggars always begging the USA for more aid from an empire burdened with a mountain of debts that, if dollar bills are pasted together end to end, can reach the moon round trips many times over. 

Philippines: US military outpost with nuclear capabilities? — RT:

Philippines: US military outpost with nuclear capabilities?

Published: 10 June, 2012, 04:20

SNIP

RT: The locations once acted as major hubs for military operations for US forces in the Pacific… what role are they now going to play?

RR: In line with the US strategy of rebalancing its forces, the US is seeking more access to these former bases. Though they may not be going after formal basing agreements, they would have unlimited access to these facilities and many other facilities all over the country, allowing their ship to stopover, refuel, and be stationed for periods, especially during the military exercises. 

All of this would transform the Philippines into a military outpost that would allow the United States to project its power throughout Southeast Asia.

So this is a very bad development, as far as we are concerned. Twenty years after the US bases were shut down, it seems that the bases are back, although not the formal basing agreement, but just the same, the functions are there, the functions of a military base are there.

FULL ARTICLE:

http://www.rt.com/news/us-philippines-military-bases-512/

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