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In whose interest is Bush reshaping missions abroad?
By Onche Odeh
Foreign
Affairs Reporter, Lagos
In a swift move that suggests the contrary
of what the world know of President of the United States, George W. Bush, the
war freak during the week announced that US troops scattered in tens of
thousands elsewhere in Europe and Asia would be re-aligned. The re-alignment is
to result in the recall of a huge number of the troops.
In a speech delivered at the Veterans of
Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati, Bush announce one of the largest troop
realignments since the end of the Cold War.
Over 70,000 uniformed military personnel
plus 100,000 of their family members and support personnel are to be affected
by the programme. A significant portion would be recalled to bases in the
United States, while others would be shifted to posts in Eastern Europe, they
said.
Bush is coming out with this recent
designer approach, which many have said is out of his style.
The approach brings to the fore the
rationale behind his actions, especially at a time when so much furor has been
triggered by the US invasion and occupation of Iraqi. Could this a political
gimmick aimed at pooling votes against his major contender, John Kerry of the
Republican party.
John Kerry had taken Bush up on his foreign
policies, especially those encapsulated in his terror war.
Many have said this move by Bush is aimed
at making him gain an election-year applause from military families, but that
it would not ease the strain on soldiers still battling violent factions in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
This claim has been dismissed by a white
House Source who said, "The new initiative will enhance our ability to
respond to threats abroad. It will strengthen our ability to protect America
and its allies and ease some of the burden on the military and military
families. We have worked closely with our friends and allies around the world
and Congress on this initiative."
The US armed forces stationed in countries
other than Iraq and Afghanistan number about 200,000. About half are in Europe.
The new initiative is also coming at a time
the Bush’s administration has come under heavy criticism by those who
dare to say for its continuous stay in Iraq.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon had advised
German officials that it was thinking about removing two Army divisions from
Germany and replacing them with smaller, more mobile units.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
briefed his Russian counterpart, Sergei Ivanov, during a visit to St.
Petersburg, where he said that the Russians have an interest in the redeployment
plan, presumably because some of the countries that could play host to US
troops are former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact states. So one may be
tempted to see the initiative as a ploy to buy over Russia and other possible
‘threats’ to US’s status as the world’s superpower and
watchdog.
Presently, US death toll in Iraq is
approaching 1,000 and National Guard and Reserve troops are serving extended
tours of duty.
Aides to Democratic challenger John Kerry
blamed a lack of postwar planning by the Bush administration for the increased
burden the reservists are shouldering. They also noted that the Massachusetts
senator has proposed adding 40,000 troops to the regular Army and expanding
special operations forces.
Kerry has said he would try to withdraw some
troops from Iraq during his first six months in office. That idea has drawn
criticism from Bush, who says that simply would urge insurgents to wait until
the US presence was thinned before attacking.
Both Bush and Kerry have been trying to
bolster their national security credentials. This may lead one to conclude that
Bush may have thrown this card on board to score a score a political high.
The president is apparently working to
convince voters that he is a strong, unwavering leader who has taken steps to
make America safer and is best to lead the battle against terrorists. Democrats
countered by opening their July convention with a focus on Kerry's Vietnam
combat experience, in contrast to Bush's non-combat role in the Texas Air
National Guard during the war.
The Pentagon’s decision to make this
military reorganization may eventually up President Bush’s credentials,
but it is sure to go with some risk and uncertainty at a time when US relations
with European allies are strained and North Korea remains a threat.
Though the Pentagon would not abandon bases
in South Korea, Germany and Japan, the decision to withdraw large numbers of
combat troops, including two Army divisions of about 15,000 troops each from
Germany, could affect those relationships in unexpected ways, as Gary Smith,
executive director of the American Academy in Berlin, has warned.
The troop reductions would mean fewer
contacts between the United States and Germany, which, despite recent tensions
over the war in Iraq have been close allies for five decades.
The suggestion is that only a strong
collaboration in other areas could hold the two together as firm as it were
before now.
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