Defensive bases can appear threatening to the nations they encircle

Evidence

U.S. officials may say that building new bases in East Asia (on top of hundreds of existing ones in the region) is defensive and will help ensure the peace. But how do those bases look from China’s perspective? A base that’s reassuring for one power can look like a threat to another. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 1060

Categorization

• XREF: Mirrors the Cuban missile crisis example that follows and connects to general security-dilemma literature. — connects to: US containment strategy treated Iran as the region’s central threat