An agreement has been reached with the ruling leftist coalition party in Bulgaria, clearing the way for Bulgarian congressional approval for the US to use 3 bases in Bulgaria. The initial agreement will be for a 10-year period, with the stated purpose of training 2000-3000 US soldiers.
Bulgaria has strategic importance as a convenient gateway to Turkey and the Middle East. Two of the bases are on Bulgaria’s border with Turkey, and the third is an airfield in the central part of the country. (Rendition, anyone?)
Let’s face it–Bulgaria is rarely in the news (though right now it’s getting some attention due to the flooding of the Danube); it’s “off the radar” in terms of geopolitical or economic significance. That makes it easy to sneak in a few bases–who will notice, or care?
The agreement stipulates that these bases will be under Bulgarian command. That may be what the agreement says but I find it hard to imagine the Bulgarian military giving orders to US soldiers.
Establishing US bases in areas that have poor economies, attract little media attention, but have strategic locations–does this sound familiar? It reminds me of the controversial agreement by Paraguay last summer to allow in US troops on an ongoing basis.
Developments such as these deserve more attention than they receive. These US bases are like chess pieces being carefully placed while everyone’s attention is focused elsewhere.
More details on the Bulgarian bases, courtesy of the Sofia News Agency: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=62089
Background on the US troops in Paraguay:
http://towardfreedom.com/home/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=593 and
http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/intervention/2005/0808ustroopsparaguay.htm