Presence of the American Troops in Romania: Civil-Military Challenges Beyond a 'Military Relationship'.

摘要

This thesis analyzes the civil-military relations of the growing U.S. military presence in Romania and the implications of this development for bi-lateral relations beyond the barracks and the maneuver field. By the implementation of the Agreement Between Romania and the United States of America Regarding the Activities of United States Forces Located on the Territory of Romania, the presence of the American troops on Romanian territory will have both positive and negative civil-military consequences. The history of U.S. and other foreign bases on European soil and other parts of the world in the 20th century sustains this conclusion and provides an area for inquiry. The areas of policy, economy and society will raise critical issues because of the social, cultural, legal and administrative, and other differences and dissimilar ways of perception and understanding of the requirements of strategy and policy. The overall goal of this thesis is for those officials responsible for the issues of policy associated with the guest forces in the host nation to approach their task best so as to avoid or minimize the political and operational negatives, and hence avoid the bi-lateral problems that have affected host countries elsewhere in Europe as well as the wider world, while at the same time emphasizing the positives and lessons learned from previous experiences. Such is in the U.S. national interest, as well, and this latter concern is no less present in the author's mind as a guest of the U.S. in the authorship of the present study. This thesis has the potential to be a small but vital piece in solidifying U.S.-Romania relations in both civil and military affairs as such has unfolded since the 1990s.