Interview: Spread of foreign military bases menace to world peace: Cuban expert

The rapid spread of foreign military bases, especially the proliferation of the U.S. outposts around the globe, has posed grave danger to every corner of the planet, said a Cuban expert.

"It is evident that the number of military bases on foreign soil has grown," said Silvio Platero, president of the Cuban Movement for Peace.

Washington has established more than 100 military bases in countries on the losing side of the WWII, and over 1,100 outposts around the world in total, according to the World Peace Council (WPC).

Platero's group was the leading organizer of an international meeting for the promotion of peace and the dismantling of military bases, which is expected to draw 200 participants from 25 countries to Guantanamo, Cuba, from May 4 to 6.

The location is symbolic, as Cuba has long demanded the U.S. army withdraw from Guantanamo, where it maintains a naval base and a notorious prison.

The U.S. occupation of the site dates back to 1898, when the nation's troops intervened in the island's war with Spain, after which Washington pressured the Cuban government to sign a treaty in 1903 to legitimize the existence of the U.S. base.

"There are quite a few military bases (around the globe), but most belong to the U.S., which, according to the Peace Council, has 852 on five continents. In our area alone, there are 76 military bases," said Platero, admitting that the criteria differ as to what constitutes a base.

Today's new bases have been different from the "traditional" outposts that were home to large troops, like Guantanamo or Palmerola in Honduras, which was designed more for the research on advanced technologies for military ends, according to the expert.

Still, they posed risks, said Platero. "Above all when you consider the new U.S. administration, which is capable of generating a conflict of nuclear dimensions, as it is close to doing in relation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

In Latin America, the rule of more conservative, neoliberal governments in countries like Argentina and Brazil has somewhat dampened the resistance against military bases, Platero noted.

He added the proliferation of U.S. military bases in Latin America represents a modern-day form of colonialism.

"It is time for unity, for uniting all efforts in the struggle to eradicate foreign military bases," said Platero. Endi