AIBU to think overseas American and UK bases should close?

I think this is why it's important to step back and think: "is this actually worse than other hegemons have behaved", "is this worse than what would happen without the US", "if this is how the US can behave, with a relatively democratic system, should we expect, say, Russia or China to behave worse or better?"

Look at all the countries where CIA-backed coups have replaced democratically-elected leaders with military juntas. The use of chemical weapons which are still affecting populations to this day. Heck, just look at Kissinger's CV if you want a long list of reasons.

Iran wouldn't even be under the thumb of a theocratic regime if it hadn't been for a CIA-backed coup in the 50s.

And now they're backing the Russians and JD Vance is in Hungary to try and keep Orbán in power.

Yes, OP you are completely fucking bonkers absolutely right. The USA and UK should absolutely close all their bases and let China and Russia act as the world's policemen, along with their proxies like India, Qutar and Iran - although the latter are a bit tied up at the moment.

Let peace and love be released throughout the world, and no innocent people will ever be tortured again.

A map explaining the difference beyween Great Britain, UK and the British Isles (may take a few mins)

I'm not sure most of the world would prefer that.

I'll say again that I'm no fan of Trump. But if you think the US is a bad 'world policeman', what are you comparing to?

And if you ask 'what have they achieved', I'd say quite likely avoiding the various catastrophes I listed in my recent post.

When the US police role recedes, the middle and smaller powers that now feel threatened won't just sit back. They will make arrangements for their own security. If you are Japan, you remilitarise quick and get nukes. If you are China, you worry about Japan with nukes, and hit them first. And so on and so on in theatres around the world.

Doubling down on your lack of knowledge of the constitution of the UK I see. NI is part of the UK but not part of Britain. That’s why it’s called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Many in the Gulf states were questioning whether the US bases are there to protect them or Israel because most of the American military machine was aimed at protecting Israel and the Gulf was left to fend for itself with their own weapons which they used to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones. There’s a lot of people who are looking at those bases there and thinking “time to go”. Sure, the bases boost the economy, but they bring with them lots of crime, sexual assaults and prostitution. There are pros and cons, and people in the Gulf are seeing lots more cons these days.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 yes Northern Ireland is part of Britain though not the same island just like the shetlands are part of Scotland but separate islands
And im very much British i even have an Irish grandmother.
Try again

This feels like nit-picking, as NI is certainly British even if not 'part of Britain', and is also part of (or on, if you prefer) the British Isles.

In point of fact I think lots of British people would be unable to explain the difference between the UK, GB, British Isles. Sad but true.

If this is indeed the case shame on them for having such a poor understanding of the constitutional and indeed geographical makeup of their own country.

Most of the world would prefer it if the US didn't keep cosplaying as the "world police". Particularly given American standards of policing - shoot first, ask questions later.

They've just bombed a load of school girls in Iran. What have they achieved?

Loads of British people would make this mistake.

@Hoardasurass claimed that NI was part of Britain which is completely incorrect. A British person would not make this mistake.

Are you actually British? Any British person would know that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom but is NOT part of Britain as you have repeatedly claimed. And there is no sick thing as “the United Kingdom of Grat Britain”. It’s either “United Kingdom of Hreat Britain and Northern Ireland” or, in short form, “United Kingdom”.

I smell a foreign agitator.

I'm no fan of Trump, but without US military bases I think we would see pretty rapidly several of the following:

i) Middle East conflagration (and no, I don't think this is as bad as it can get), as Iran, Saudi and Israel each sensing an existential civilisational threat;
ii) likely leading to a pogrom of Jews, Shia, Sunni, or all three. Pogrom of Jews especially likely if Israel collapses;
iii) Russia incursions or full-blown invasion of neighbouring states, with the Nato threat largely neutered;
iv) Chinese blocades and captures Taiwan, with the risk of US retaliation effectively gone and Xi's clock ticking;
v) possible flaring up of India/Pakistan, by removing a check on Pakistani military and Islamist/Afghan collaboration, leading India to retaliate (or to get its retaliation in first)
vi) disruption of global trade hitting living costs and crucial supplies, with the poorest most exposed (virtually all major powers would see losing the US's freedom of navigation role as a big loss. China, for example, is very happy not to need to police the world's oceans in order to keep its trade routes open).
vii) general nuclear proliferation cascade, with Japan, Saudi, S Korea probably nuclear within a decade, Japan certainly remilitarising fast and potential E Asian war (China and/or Korea and/or Japan) as those countries settle old scores and/or preemptively deal with their fears of each other.

I think the risks of the above are not trivial and none would make the world a safer place.

There are no british bases in the Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain whether you like it or not.
Try again

@FernandoSorOf course northern Ireland is part of the UK; AKA The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

You also clearly don’t understand what is happening at the moment. It’s a disruption of a proxy network controlled by an imperialist power that spans, lebanon, yemen and iraq at the moment. Goodness knows if it will work but it’s not actually crazy, it just looks like that if all you listen to is noise.

Do you have any idea what those people in those countries actually think? Of have you assumed because of your own political leanings? They are very clear on who is attacking them and are all over twitter defending their right as nation states to host whoever the hell they want in their countries. It’s not up to Iran to dictate to other countries who they can have defence agreements with and the fact that you seem to think it is makes me think you are pro-imperialism.

Northern Ireland is not and never has been part of Britain. And of course there were plenty of British military bases in what is now the Republic of Ireland.

It’s like a student union around here. On the US gulf bases expect to see nothing much change at all. They aren’t going to kick the americans out, iran just managed to prove why GCC countries benefit from defence co-operation with America. Gulf nations are reasonably asking if this was just about american bases why civilian sites and oil and gas installations were hit.

I really do feel we need to cover this at school more, so many people don’t seem to get the reality of geopolitics. They are just reflexively anti-american or anti-west because they have stewed their brains in anti-imperialism whilst managing to ignore the fact that countries like russia, china and iran are imperialist and their neighbours are shit scared of them.

Do you think the world will be safer or more stable without a dominant superpower, or are you envisaging that a different one will take the US’s place?

Historically periods without hegemons have been more violent and unstable, not less.

Given that, I think US-led order is better than the alternatives. It’s certainly the best-behaved superpower we have seen, and better than China and Russia (who in any case aren’t plausible global powers, though China may get there).

Its not that simple. Many of them are actually NATO do have members of varied forces.