US-UK Bases: The Cart Before the Horse in Escalation Narratives
Zoom out for a second: The Independent’s inquiry into US and UK military bases in the Middle East, prompted by recent Iranian retaliatory strikes, conveniently sidesteps a crucial chronological detail. It presents the proliferation of Western garrisons as a given, a natural fixture, rather than a catalyst for regional instability. This framing implies Iran’s actions are spontaneous, detached from
the tangible reality of an encirclement that has been building for decades. We have seen this pattern before. In 1990, the US deployed half a million troops to Saudi Arabia in what it termed 'Operation Desert Shield,' ostensibly to protect the kingdom from Iraq. Yet, even after Iraq’s defeat, a significant US military footprint remained, with bases and personnel entrenched across the Gulf. This
permanent presence, costing US taxpayers billions annually and imposing immense social strain on host nations, continued to expand rather than retract. Instead of questioning why Iran, a sovereign nation subjected to 45 years of crippling sanctions and constant regime-change operations since the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup, would react to thousands of foreign troops on its borders, the focus shifts
to Iran’s 'provocative' response. The US operates roughly 38 military bases within a 1,500-mile radius of Iran, a fact rarely highlighted in these discussions. The question is not why Iran would retaliate, but why the 'international community' continuously overlooks the preceding acts of militarization and coercion. The pattern repeats because we let it. Share this before it disappears from your