April 2000: US Granted Permission to Expand Qatar Military Base

The US obtains permission to expand greatly a military base in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, and construction begins shortly thereafter. The justification for expanding Al Adid, a billion-dollar base, is presumably preparedness for renewed action against Iraq. [Los Angeles Times, 1/6/2002] Dozens of other US military bases sprang up in the region during the 1990s. [Village Voice, 11/13/2002]