the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 29, 2024
In December, the U.S. and Finland signed an agreement giving the U.S. military access to 15 Finnish military bases. They include the largest military training area in Western Europe and a base only 31 miles from Russia. In the last two years, Sweden let the U.S. use 17 bases and Norway let the U.S. use four. Now the U.S. has access to 36 military bases near the Russian border.
The U.S. has taken advantage of the fighting between Ukraine and Russia in 2014 and 2022 to beef up its military presence and domination in Europe. U.S. troops now “have authority to exert authority over Norwegian citizens.” Last year for the first time a U.S. B-2 stealth bomber landed in Norway. U.S. aircraft more frequently use the U.S.’s former base in Keflavik, Iceland, upgraded for that purpose in 2016. Last year U.S. nuclear submarines also began docking at Iceland. In Poland last year the U.S. Army opened a weapons depot and began permanently stationing troops for the first time in the country as well.
The U.S. makes its allied “host” countries pay for upgrades on U.S. bases, so this increasing U.S. occupation is subsidized by European taxpayers. Germany spends over 100 million dollars for this each year, around half on construction. Poland similarly spent 300 million dollars last year. American companies take home the profits. The U.S. capitalist class is waging an increasingly sharp economic war on its European rivals, under the pretext of protecting them from the Russian bogeyman.
This kind of economic war sets the stage for a wider world war.