This is something I've never understood, maybe you can help me. What benefit does a person living in the US gain from having any of their soldiers outside their border? I'm not just talking about the adventures in the Middle East the US has been dabbling in this century, there are also 800 US foreign military bases or installations spread across the globe. (The rest of the world's nations have a combined total of about 30.) But what exactly do we get out of this planet-spanning military sprawl thing that we've clearly got going on?
The only reason I can remember running across in the past was to protect foreign trade and "American interests." But I don't understand why foreign trade is necessary to the continued health and wellbeing of the people living in the enormous, resource-rich, barely occupied landmass known as the USA. Obviously there are some people who make a living off of foreign trade, and most of us benefit by it to some degree, but I don't see how it should be regarded by the nation as a whole as anything other than a luxury. A luxury that can be engaged in by those willing to take the increased risk of operation abroad without the comfort of knowing that the US military can put uniforms on the scene anywhere on the planet faster than the local police can anywhere in Detroit.
Anyway, yeah. Don't get it. Help me out here.
Then look at facts. Google our imports list and cross-check the first few dozen goods on it with a list of items produced within the 50 states. Run the math, figure out what we would have to do without if we cut off all foreign trade.
Don't make someone else do legwork you are fully capable of doing yourself. That said, I'll shove you in the right direction: how many cups of coffee did you drink this week?