This book sheds light on the mechanisms of base politics that surround US overseas military bases, comparing several countries across different regions.

Analysing cases from Japan, Greenland, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Singapore, the contributors paint a detailed and complex picture of the role and impact of US bases. In times of war they project military power, and in times of peace they deter the emergence of general and latent threats. Furthermore, they are used to secure access to resources, and as a means of politically and economically influencing small and mid-size countries. From the viewpoint of the countries that host them, military bases allow the host many benefits of the US security umbrella, but can cause internal problems, including accidents and noise pollution that accompany the functioning of a base, as well as constraining their own sovereignty. Military bases do not simply serve to bring America strategic and security benefits - as symbols of the hierarchical structure of the international system, they influence power relations in the entire world.

An invaluable resource for scholars of International Relations with an interest in the practical and theoretical challenges of the US’s relationship with its allies.

Introduction (Shinji Kawana and Minori Takahashi) 1: What Questions does the Study of Military Bases Pose? (Shinji Kawana) 2: Rethinking the Politics Surrounding the US Military Base in Greenland with a Focus on Non-material Factors (Minori Takahashi) 3: U.S. Bases in Italy: From a Cold War Frontier to a Hub for Power Projection (Matteo Dian) 4: Defending NATO’s Southern Flank: Spain’s Democratization, the Ending of the Cold War and the U.S. Military Presence (Shino Hateruma) 5: Domestic Environmental Policy and Status of Forces Agreement: U.S. Military Presence and New Water Pollution Risk in Germany (Keisuke Mori) 6: Why do Anti-Base Movements Occur and/or Activate? An Analysis of the Turkish Case (Kohei Imai) 7: Strategic Asset or Political Burden? U.S. Military Bases and Base Politics in Saudi Arabia (Masaki Mizobuchi) 8: Singapore’s Distinctive “Quasi-Bases”: Regional Security Environment, National Discourse, and Path-Dependence (Kei Koga) 9: Base Politics within the Framework of the U.S.-ROK Alliance Management Scheme (Tomonori Ishida) Conclusion (Shinji Kawana and Minori Takahashi)