eli5: Why does USA have military bases and soldiers in many foreign countries?
In: Other
It’s like being friends with a REALLY buff gym-rat kid in high school. Bullies are a lot less likely to mess with you, ebcause they know your friend is right there and is very likely to get involved. So you get some of the benefit of being the gym-rat buff guy without the ‘cost’ of having to spend half your free time in the gym. And yeah, maybe he is a bit of a mooch and stops by for dinner all the time and hogs your XBOX when you hang out and hits in your sister. But small price to pay.
HAving a military strong enought to deter someone like China or Russia (or even middling militaries like N. Korea, India, Iran etc.) from fucking with your country will take a LOOOOTTT of money. More than most countries can afford. But if they host a US military base, you get many of the benefits of a military that big (being that buff) without nearly as much cost (spending all that time in the gym).
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