In his weekly seminar the Religious Authority Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah was asked the following question concerning the American military bases in the region:

The American military bases in the Arab world, especially those based in oil-rich and Gulf countries constitute front posts to what some people call Neo-colonialism, while others believe that they are associated with the expected attack on Iraq. How do you view these bases? Is their role different than the ones in Europe and the rest of the world?

 In his answer the Sayyed said:

1-It has become quite naïve to anyone who has been following up the American political movement in general and in the region in particular, to think that they aim to solve the problems of these countries, or to liberate and protect them, especially after Iraq has become a weak country and the rest of the Gulf countries have established normal relations among themselves and with the Islamic Republic.

2-Thus the threat for the Arab and Islamic region comes for the outside. It comes from the United States , whether as direct threats or by creating conflicts that would allow it to enhance its presence in the region… As for the American military bases, which constitute an additional threat, we know that they have been imposed against the free will of the peoples of the region.

Furthermore, the Americans have threatened certain countries in the region that they would change the regime or divide the country if they try to get rid of these bases, or even allowed the people to protest against them.

3-Thus, the American military bases in the region are the manifestation of the neocolonialism which the nation should learn to live with, and accept the American hegemony on the region’s resources, especially oil, that in addition to its strategic importance as a cheap source of energy, is going to be used as an economic and political weapon against Europe, Japan, China and the other countries that seek to maintain a position that corresponds to its economic and demographic potentials.

4-Although, the role of the American military bases in Europe is different than those in the region, since there are no powers here that wish to become rivals to the States, we believe that the American military bases in the region do not only pose a threat to the peoples of the Islamic and Arab world, but to the interests of the European Union as well.

They also threaten the peace of the world, turning it into a tool whom America ends or holds as it sees fit, even if it means war, destruction and chaos in various parts of the world.

5-Thus, we warn the peoples of the region from the American military bases, since they constitute a real threat to their future and the future of their coming generations. Their real goal is to gain full control over the oil-rich region having acquired control over Afghanistan and besieged the Caspian Sea region. In this respect, the attack on Iraq will not be last step in the American offensive whose ultimate goal is to control the world economically and politically.

When will the nation rise to prevent the coming collapse, which will impoverish the region, plunder its economic resources and destabilize its economic, political and social security?