Autonomous geographies in the anti-US military base movements

Fois, F ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6908-9726 and Paragano, D 2011, 'Autonomous geographies in the anti-US military base movements' , Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice, 23 (3) , pp. 313-319.

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Abstract

The construction of a military base in a foreign country paints a portrait of international relationships based on a top-down decision-making process. Despite the huge academic and political debate about the importance of a participative approach to public space management and the “right to spaces,” the construction of a military base location instead shows a vertical and imposed approach. Many cases and different studies show that local communities often refuse these kinds of projects. Especially in developed countries and militarized regions, new military projects can create social turmoil. Notwithstanding its global aim, the military base location has in the local scale its main element. In fact, despite increasing autonomy and self-sustainability, the presence of particular infrastructural elements and the socio-political atmosphere are fundamental for locating a military base. Hence, a symbiotic relationship exists between a (military) base and place, and, consequently, a strong connection between global and local scales. Any decision on where to locate a military base is made by global strategic aims, and any local change in terms of relocation of military bases requires, inevitably, a re-projection of the global strategic plan. In this framework, the opposition to the military bases seems to have few possibilities to stop a posture process.

Item Type:	Article
Schools:	Schools > School of Environment and Life Sciences
Journal or Publication Title:	Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
ISSN:	1040-2659
Depositing User:	F Fois
Date Deposited:	20 Mar 2019 15:57
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2022 01:17
URI:	https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/50434

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