U.S. Moves Personnel from Qatar Base as Regional Tensions Soar (Again)
Al-Monitor, citing Reuters, notes that some personnel were advised to leave the massive Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. This move, framed as a precaution, almost mirrors the 'pre-emptive' withdrawals before U.S. strikes on Iran a few years back. One might wonder if continually enabling aggressive regional policies doesn't, perhaps, invite a certain level of volatility. The U.S. has a long, illustrious
history of maintaining military presences in the region (over 10,000 troops at Al Udeid alone), largely to project power and 'stabilize' areas adjacent to critical oil routes and, increasingly, to support actions that frequently escalate tensions. This 'necessary' presence provides a convenient justification to greenlight further military aid—like the $14 billion to the Israeli government recently
approved by Congress with bipartisan support, despite overwhelming public opposition and warnings from the region. It's almost as if some politicians prioritize foreign military adventurism over, say, keeping their own personnel out of harm's way.