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countries. 86 Before the 2000s, the traditional roles of military bases included the defense of an ally or allies, deterrence and counterbalancing functions, defense of the home country, and intelligence gathering. With the rise of terrorism in the 2000s, counterterrorism and expeditionary missions have gained greater importance in the rationale of foreign military bases. 87 The dynamics of foreign bases have experienced a dramatic shift after the terrorist attacks of September 2001 on u.S. soil. the u.S. redirected its attention and military assets from europe to Central and South-West Asia. The anti-terrorist front that the U.S. built up over the subsequent years have seen the deployment of u.S. military forces in and close to certain parts of Asia that was once considered Russia’s traditional sphere of influence. The new countries where the U.S. is involved are in close proximity to the borders of Russia and China, creating potential for new tensions. 88 Balancing the Positives and Negatives One can analyze the utility of Foreign Military Presence in terms of a matrix involving military/ security benefits to either or both the foreign power and the host state, and the liabilities or disadvantages to both parties. Military/security benefits to the foreign power might include the possibility of coercive diplomacy and the maintenance or extension of colonial or quasi-colonial presence, influence, or control. One such obvious benefit would be the enhancement of global security and defense and power projection capabilities. An analogous benefit would be better response to or control of local and regional security problems. 89 the foreign power may use its presence to incorporate the local state into larger or global security concerns or networks. Similarly, a foreign power can freeze competitors out of a country or region. Furthermore, a foreign military presence facilitates coordination between foreign and local forces. 90 The host nation also receives military and security benefits in the form of a security umbrella for the local state. Joint exercises between the local state and foreign power demonstrate the commitment of the foreign power to the local state and provided training and experience for local troops. 91 There are also a multitude of potential liabilities or disadvantages of foreign military power. For the foreign power, its presence in the host country may increase the vulnerability of its agents and citizens to civil and violent attacks. Furthermore, basing agreements with authoritarian regimes may yield short-term benefits but do little for political and or economic liberalization. As an extension, basing agreements with such regimes may be volatile and subject to host-nation demands or ousters. Overwhelming military might does not always translate well to regional conflicts where adversaries enjoy the advantages of greater willingness to suffer, more young males of fighting age, and deeper knowledge of local terrain, weather, and other factors. 92 For the local host, there are political liabilities as well. Permitting a foreign power to establish bases on local land creates an association with the foreign power’s foreign policy, which may create or increase domestic and regional opposition to the local host. Furthermore, a foreign military presence involves a loss of sovereignty. It may hamper the formation of or participation in regional cooperation accords, particularly when other local states that are not friendly with the foreign power are involved. the institution of foreign military installations and privileges involves some degree of surrender of territoriality. 93 Legal Immunity international agreements such as the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Status of Forces 22 Melbourne Host Directorate PTY LTD | Office of Media and Design
Agreement (SOFA) include clauses that exempt troops from local laws. 94 in 2011, a Russian soldier stationed in the republic shot a Moldovan citizen. The soldier received immunity from prosecution by Moldovan courts. Instead, the soldier went through the Russian military’s own court martial proceedings, which are understood to be biased toward soldiers. Similarly, the Status of Forces Agreement between South Korea and the United States stipulates that U.S. servicemen cannot be held accountable for their crimes under Korean law. This agreement affects over 100 bases and facilities the U.S. has built in South Korea. In 2002, a U.S. tank ran over two teenage girls on their way to a birthday party. The U.S. refused to hand the driver over the Korean courts to be tried. instead, u.S. courts tried the soldiers and found that they were not guilty. In 2006 alone, over 2,600 car accidents were reported involving U.S. servicemen, but there is no avenue for redress as Korean insurance companies refuse to cover damages. 95 Communities around U.S. bases have also recorded high levels of rapes and other violent crimes committed by foreign soldiers. In 1995, three U.S. Marines gang-raped a twelve-year-old Okinawan girl. The highly publicized incident galvanized political activism and brought wider attention to militaryrelated violence against women. 96 the situation was further exacerbated when the then-commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, Admiral Richard Macke, angered many Japanese citizens when he suggested that the servicemen were “stupid” because they could have bought a prostitute for less money than they spent on renting the car used in the abduction. 97 President Clinton and then U.S. ambassador Walter Mondale issued formal apologies to the Japanese government. 98 Environmental Impact Communities around military bases have often sustained environmental contamination from activities on the bases. Dangerous pollutants such as nerve gas, depleted uranium, unexploded mines and shells are sometimes improperly stored at military bases. These dangerous chemicals can leak onto land and into the ground water, causing sickness in the surrounding communities. 99 in 2000, u.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright conceded the legacy of “serious public and environmental problems” caused by U.S. military bases in the Philippines. However, she reiterated that the U.S. had no legal obligation to clean up the deadly residue. 100 Tests at the former bases in Clarke and Subic Bay have revealed dangerous levels of poisonous chemicals, lead and fuel in the ground water. It had severely damaged the biodiversity and fish stocks in the area. Regional Instability Critics of military bases argue that bases provoke conflict and instability. For example, Iran is surrounded by 44 U.S. bases. As Robert Johnson observed in Business Insider, “This could be reason Iran is so darn defensive.” 101 Iran is aware that Iraq and Afghanistan, both bordering neighbors, are now occupied and that eight more neighboring countries host U.S. or NATO military bases. The bases in the region provide Iran with the pretext to counter the real and imagined threat to its national integrity and sovereignty by creating a credible deterrent, nuclear, or otherwise. 102 Aid in Natural Disasters As more foreign military assets are deployed to aid in natural disasters, the relationship between military assets and humanitarian efforts are becoming more complex and tension-filled. Since the 1990s, the number of NGOs that have joined the established humanitarian agencies has increased significantly. Consequently, there has been greater competition among different humanitarian actors. At the same time, there is a trend for armed forces around the world to go beyond their traditional war-fighting 23 Melbourne Host Directorate PTY LTD | Office of Media and Design
Page 1 and 2: Disarmament and International Secur
Page 3 and 4: Letters Melbourne Host Directorate
Page 5 and 6: Letter from the Under-Secretary-Gen
Page 7 and 8: Introduction the disarmament and in
Page 9 and 10: The Paracel and Spratly Islands. in
Page 11 and 12: ASEAN is a possible multilateral fo
Page 13 and 14: economically. Sovereignty over the
Page 15 and 16: Sea. Russia submitted its claim for
Page 17 and 18: egun developing the Shtokman gas fi
Page 19 and 20: ecommendation. 72 The commission re
Page 21: Topic Area B: Foreign Military Base
Page 25 and 26: types of interactions between the a
Page 27 and 28: Economics Impact The presence of th
Page 29 and 30: name of counterterrorism. At the sa
Page 31 and 32: The global military presence of the
Page 33 and 34: A U.S. forward operating base in Af
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Page 37 and 38: supportive of U.S. presence. 177 Re
Page 39 and 40: ing to the conference and the time
Page 41 and 42: 47 Gerken, James. “Arctic Climate
Page 43 and 44: N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2012. 182

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