U.S. Troop Withdrawals—What Do They Mean?
President George W. Bush has announced significant U.S. troop withdrawals from Germany, Japan and South Korea. What's behind this development and what will it mean a few years from now?
by Melvin Rhodes
I first heard the news of U.S. troop withdrawals on Lufthansa, the German national airline. The plane was en route from Accra, Ghana, to Frankfurt, Germany, the country most affected by the announcement. After the plane had taken off, the airline showed the latest BBC world news, which I had not been able to watch while in Ghana.
I cannot say that I was surprised by the news. The United States has been showing all the signs of classic imperial overreach for some time. Prior to 9/11 the United States had massive troop commitments around the world, all maintained without a draft. Following the events of Sept. 11, two wars have only added to the burden—there are simply not enough troops to handle all the commitments and not enough money either.
A day after leaving Ghana, I visited Buckingham Palace, official home of Queen Elizabeth II in the heart of London. I had taken seven American young adults to Ghana with me to help with our annual United Church of God teen summer camp. All had requested a few days in London on the way home.
Amidst the splendor of the palace I reflected on Britain's past glory and, more specifically, on the country's rapid decline from imperial power. I was born shortly before the queen's reign began. At the time of her accession to the throne, Britain's military was more than four times what it is today. In 1952, the British Empire was largely intact. Britain had bases all over the globe—among the largest were Singapore and Malta, neither of which has a single British soldier on its soil today.
Throughout the 1960s British imperial power was in retreat. Britain was withdrawing its troops from different parts of the world and British power and influence was diminishing as the troops withdrew. Finally, towards the end of the '60s, Britain announced its withdrawal from "east of Suez"—all troops east of the Suez Canal were to be brought home.
Read the full article at www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/us-troop-withdrawals-what-do-they-mean
Related Information:
Table of Contents that includes "U.S. Troop Withdrawals -- What Do They Mean?"
Other Articles by Melvin Rhodes
Keywords: U.S. troop redeployment U.S. military U.S. trade
U.S. economy:
- The Global Economy's Uncertain Future
- The Achilles' Heel of Global Banking
- Global Economics: From Kosovo to McDonalds
- Deutschland AG Versus Corporate America
- World News Review Dec 2000
- World News Review Aug 2001
- Dealing With Fear
- Greed Is the News of the Day
- Hope Beyond the Headlines
- Sept. 11 Aftermath Highlights U.S. Strengths and Weaknesses
- Mortgage Bubble About to Burst?
- A Looming EU-U.S. Trade War?
- World News Review July 2004
- When Do I Get a Break?
- The Source of America's Bounty
- A Downsized Lifestyle Is Coming - Will You Make the Adjustment?
- When the Gas Pumps in Europe Run Dry
- The Housing Bubble: Making of a Banking Crisis?
- Gross Domestic Product: Is It the Measuring Stick of Success?
- Our World Is Rapidly Changing - in Ways Foretold by Bible Prophecy
- Energy Costs, the Mideast and Illegals Are Americans' Biggest Concerns
- Are Things Really Better Than We Think?
- World News and Trends - November/December 2006
- World News Review January 2007
- Is America in Financial Decline?
- Generation Debt
- What Will It Mean for the West if Radical Islam Triumphs?
- Are We Living in a "9/10" Economy?
- Are We Living in a '9/10' Economy?
- What's Behind the Falling Dollar?
- World News Review February 2008
- World News Review March/April 2008
- Coping With the Current Housing Crisis
- Coping With a Growing Economic Crisis
- World News and Trends - May/June 2008
- The Wealth of a Nation
- "In God We Trust"
- What Will the Next President Face?
- The Growing Economic Crisis: A Biblical Perspective
- World News & Trends - November/December 2008
- Farewell to America as a Financial World Power
- Mama Told Me...
- Prayer for Success
- Waves of Destruction
- The Meaning of the Mortgage Meltdown
- Hands of Confusion
- When Nations Fall
- Could the Dollar Fall?
- America's Hope for Recovery: Real or Merely an Illusion?
- Vantage Point
- An American Thanksgiving
- Discerning This Time
- Could America Be Replaced as the Global Superpower?
- America's Economic Meltdown: What Does It Mean?
- Could a Greek Tragedy Bring Down the Euro?
- World News & Trends March/April 2010
- The Decline and Fall of Nations: A Prophetic Perspective
- Has America Lost Its Way? 2010
- The Economic Meltdown's Ugly Fruits--and the Bible's Practical Solutions
- World News & Trends Nov/Dec 2010
- Prophetic Trends Observed as 2011 Begins
- Debt Troubles Mount for Britain and America
- America Drowns in a Sea of Debt - What Does It All Mean?
- Kitchen Table Economics
- The Brink of Bankruptcy: Unfunded Liabilities Threaten the U.S. Economy
- Warnings for America
- America's Famous Optimism Sorely Tested
- Laying Up Treasure
- America's Debt Debacle
- European and American Debt: No Easy Way Out
- A Nation Lost and Adrift
- The World's Financial Turmoil: What Are the Root Causes?
- Kitchen Table Economics: What Is It That Governments Don't Understand?
- Where is America headed?
- America's National Debt: Growing With No End in Sight
- Poverty on the Rise in America
- Severe Economic Uncertainty and Anxiety
- Signs of the Times
- When Will America Run Out of Resources?
- Where Does America Go From Here?
- In danger: the Status of the U.S. Dollar
- Detroit: Only One of America's Debt-ridden Cities
- America's Military Decline: What Does It Mean?
- Washington's Budget Impasse: the Overlooked Significance
- What's Behind America's Growing Dependency Society?
- 2015 - A Year of Triumph or Trial for America?
- Trump Takes Over -- Now What?
- Current Events & Trends March/April 2018
- The Illegal Immigration Crisis - No End in Sight
- Trade War
- Coronavirus Fallout: the Economic Impact
- Current Events and Trends - July/August 2020
- America's Economic Transformation
- The Curse of Inflation - A Biblical View
- Current Events & Trends May/June 2022
- A Return to 1970s Stagflation?
- Growing State Tyranny - Foretaste of the End Time?
- The BRICS Are Coming
- Can You Change the World?
- The Achilles' Heel of Global Banking
- Symbolism Abounds in Transfer of Hong Kong
- The Panama Canal: A Sea Gate Changes Hands
- After Kosovo - What Then?
- After Kosovo: Power Shift Taking Place?
- Panama: Another Major Sea Gate Relinquished
- Another Sea Gate Threatened?
- How Significant Is the Race for the White House? (2000)
- World Watches U.S. Post-Election Predicament
- What Lies Ahead for U.S. Leasership?
- What Lies Ahead for U.S. Leadership?
- Who Will Be the Next Superpower?
- America's Astounding Destiny: Rise to Greatness
- World News Review Nov 2001
- Imagine a World Without the United States
- World's Greatest Nation?
- America's Growing Isolation
- Behind the Headlines - A World Without the United States
- What Do You Know -- and What Will You Do?
- One Year After Sept. 11: What Have We Learned?
- The Coming Clash Between Europe and America
- A Reluctant Empire
- Behind the Headlines ... America vs. Iraq or America vs. the World?
- The Global Reach of America and Britain -- Prophesied in the Bible?
- America and Britain's Global Reach -- Prophesied in the Bible?
- Why America?
- Is This the End of the American Empire?
- Intelligence Failure -- From Listening to the Wrong People?
- Major International Challenges Confront President Bush's Second Term
- Anti-American Sentiment Increases in South America
- Will America Run Away From Iraq?
- A Growing Confederacy Against Modern Israel
- World News and Trends - July/August 2006
- Pride of America's Power: How Long Will It Last?
- Pride of America's Power: Approaching the Breaking Point?
- Will Iraq Be America's Suez?
- Is American Isolationism on the Rise?
- Five Significant Trends of 2006
- America at a Dangerous Crossroads
- The Rise and Fall of Empires
- What's Ahead for America?
- World News and Trends - November/December 2007
- World News and Trends - January/February 2008
- Who Will Be the Next Superpower? (2008)
- God Blessed America
- Is America Living Up to God's Standards?
- World News & Trends Jan 2009
- World News & Trends March/April 2009
- World News & Trends: November/December 2009
- Global Political Trends Threaten America's World Leadership
- World News & Trends January 2010
- World News & Trends May 2010
- The "American Century": What Was Really Behind It?
- World News & Trends September/October 2010
- Where Is Our World Headed?
- World News & Trends - January/February 2011
- World News & Trends March 2011
- Turmoil: What's Behind the Unrest Sweeping the Middle East?
- America and Britain Cut Defense: What Does It Mean for the Future?
- The Life Cycles of Empires: Lessons for America Today?
- A Decade After 9/11: Where Is America Headed?
- Where Were You on That September Day?
- America After 9/11: On the Hinge of History
- The Fading American dream
- American Isolation: Will history repeat itself?
- America and the Decline of the British Empire: A Comparison
- Is America Sliding Into Permanent National Decline?
- "I Will Break the Pride of Your Power"
- A "New World Disorder" Stalks Humanity
- India: A Nation on the Rise
- Will America Cease to Lead the World?
- Lines in the Sand: The Middle East 10 Years After Iraq
- Lines in the Sand: Iraq 10 Years Later
- The American Military: A Testing Ground for Social Change
- America and Britain: a Public Display of Weakness
- The Humiliation of America and What It Means for You
- Navigating the Middle East Minefield
- Why the Massive Decline in America's Prestige?
- China enters the Caribbean
- Increasing Disorder Follows on Heels of U.S. Retreat
- 70 Years After D-Day: From Power to Impotence
- Feeble U.S. Stand Allows Russian Imperialism
- As America Retreats, a Dangerous World Emerges
- America Losing Credibility as the World's Superpower
- America's Precarious Position: Where Can We Look for Answers?
- An Age of Growing Chaos
- Are We in a Dangerous Age of Appeasement?
- America: Drastic Changes 70 Years After World War II
- The Handwriting on the Wall
- Will America Be Great Again?
- The Global Power Vacuum
- What Makes a Nation Great?
- Will America Remain Great?
- America: Attacked Abroad, Divided Within
- Introduction: A Snapshot of World Affairs
- Why Europe and Not the United States?
- Britain and the United States Inherit Joseph's Birthright
- America - the Diminishing Empire
- Current Events & Trends January/February 2019
- The Quiet Rise of Authoritarianism
- America's Uncertain Future
- 20 Years After 9/11
- The United States and China - Destined for War?
- Current Events & Trends - September/October 2022
- A World in Chaos as America Fractures
- America's Military in Crisis
- On the Edge of Great Change - Where to Turn?
- The Panama Canal: A Sea Gate Changes Hands
General Topics Index
Biblical References Index
Home Page of this site