Military Occupations and Overseas Bases in Twentieth-Century U.S. Foreign Relations

This chapter examines the role of overseas military bases and military occupations in twentieth-century U.S. foreign relations. Scholars from numerous disciplines have explored these topics, and despite diverse methodological and disciplinary approaches, they have identified enduring patters. Wherever American troops have done garrison or occupation duty, their buying power has districted local economies and social relations. They have angered host-country nationals with their alcohol-fueled misconduct and racism, but also charmed them by introducing new cultural forms, like rock music. Over the past three decades, gender studies, cultural and transnational turns, and the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have all contributed to changes in the way scholars have approached the study of military bases and occupation.

Duke Scholars

Author Zach Fredman DKU Faculty