topic by
amelia gora
(784 posts)
Mililani, Hawaii,
Kingdom of Hawaii
8/14/2008 (04:57) |
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Suggestions on how to get the U.S. Out of Pearl Harbor....EVICTION wise that is .....and info.
Greetings....
have any suggestions on how we could EVICT the U.S. off of Pearl Harbor, etc.?
appreciate your comments....
aloha,
Amelia Gora, a Royal person in Hawaii
US loses another staging post in 'its backyard'
August 12th, 2008 · No Comments
The US military base in the Ecuadorian harbour town Manta is like all others: A fenced off, barbwired area guarded by angry looking men in uniform. It is special in one way too: Attached to its front gate is an announcement of eviction, signed by the Ecuador government. For the US, the base is a crucial facility for the continuation of US control over the Andean region, both militarily and politically.The Ecuadorian government is smart to get rid of it.
The Manta base has been leased by the US from the Ecuadorian government since 1999. Together with similar bases in El Salvador and Curacao, the base's main function is to intercept drug trafficking from neighbouring Colombia. After the Panamanian government evicted the US military in the late 1990s, the US needed new strategic outposts to pursue their War on Drugs, and the government of Ecuador was happy to provide US Southern Command with a perfect spot, Manta. In return, the US promised to invest in Ecuatorian infrastructure and said the lease would guarantee closer friendship between the two countries and a boost for the local economy.
As almost always happens, the US didn't keep its end of the deal though. Investment was limited to the improvement of the road leading to the base, the boost to the economy was limited to a booming sex industry, and the 'closer friendship' was exemplified by the displacement of farmers to make way for a longer runway, and by the sinking of several fisherboats that had been 'behaving suspiciously' while trying to earn their living. Moreover, the US didn't stop at monitoring or intercepting drug traffic. The mandate of the US forces at Manta was soon broadened beyond the agreed terms of the contract: Manta started to provide air support for coca-crop fumigation programmes in Colombia and became an important jumping point for US reconnaissance missions in Colombia thus involving Ecuador in an internal conflict.
The population of Ecuador at first took a fairly positive attitude towards the US base, but this soon changed. The displacements and the lack of transparency about the enlargement of the mandate soon eroded support. Public opinion started to change more rapidly when crop fumigation overseen from Manta started to harm the health and livelihoods of Ecuadorian farmers close to the Colombian border. In Manta itself, a large majority of the Manta popluation supported the idea that the US base was good for Ecuador and good for Manta in 2002, but by 2007 roughly two thirds of the Manta population opposed the US presence in their home town.
But once you let them in, it is incredibly hard to get the US military out again. The no doubt significant budget of the US Corps Diplomatique was used to depict anti-base campaigners as liars or extremists; to try and bribe politicians into supporting the base; to sponsor the Manta Office of Commerce; to organise first class trips to Manta for businessmen and selected media; to threaten the Ecuadorian government with repercussions. By then however, the grass-root campaign to close the base had managed to win solid political support, with the election of president Rafael Correa. His promise to end the 10-year lease in 2009 helped deliver him the presidency.
The US response to the election of Correa and the pending closure of the base was panic, and for a good reason. The US military finds it more and more difficult these days to find new willing 'hosts' for its bases in Latin America. The US is ever less welcome in what it regards as its own backyard. The only place to run now seems to be Peru, or perhaps Colombia itself. Local grass-roots organising and campaigning has been crucial in this victory for the Ecuadorian people. Not only did the Ecuatorian No-bases campaign manage to appeal to the majority of the population, it also managed to reach out to groups, campaigns and initiatives in all the other countries where the US built up its network of over 1000 war facilities. In 2007, the local groups hosted the first International Conference on foreign military bases, bringing together more than 400 campaigners and activists from over 40 countries.
The Ecuador No-bases campaign's victory is a great inspiration to many around the globe who have to live with US military bases and facililties. The closure of Manta reminds us all that it can be done. If we can close Manta, we can close the bases in Curacao and El Salvador too, erasing the US military footprint in Latin America. If we can push them out of Latin America, so we can in other parts of the World.
As of July, TNI will host the International Secretariat of the No-bases Network. The Network celebrates the decision of the Ecuadorian government and will in the coming months support Peruvian groups who seek to prevent relocation of the Manta military facilities to their country.
Contact: Wilbert van der Zeijden
secretariat@no-bases.net
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aloha.
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