The thesis of anthropologist David Vine’s latest book, Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World, is taboo in American political discourse. It is a radical notion to suggest that foreign bases don’t protect American interests but actively harm them. Candidates who fail to reflexively support U.S. militarism face a political land mine.
A few years ago I was walking with my dog on one of the many forest trails in this area, when we crossed paths with a man I knew only by sight. He was a distant neighbor. Since we were going in the same direction we fell into step and engaged in small talk about the weather and recent news events. When it became obvious we had somewhat similar views about the world I said I was upset that reliable sources estimate 32,000 children die every day in the world, from hunger and hunger-related diseases when there is enough food to feed them. He replied, “Oh, I don’t want to think about that,
