When a soldier in the United States Military is stationed in an Asian country what he imagines is the tropical beaches, palm trees and those beautiful exotic desirable women. The US Military along with the militaries from these Asian countries take this into consideration when it comes to the environment around US military bases. Rest and Recreation (R&R) sites are established for the soldiers for their personal enjoyment. These R&R sites, otherwise referred to my the soldiers as I&I (Intoxication & Intercourse), are clubs and bars in which the waitresses (prostitutes) especially cater to the soldiers sexual desires. Prostitution in these countries is illegal and the US Government claims to be against it. Unfortunately, the United States, a country that professes equality for all, is the biggest perpetrator in this cult of military prostitution. Prostitution in this case is part of the process of militarization, "the step-by-step process by which something becomes controlled by, dependent on, and derives its value from the military as an institution or militaristic criteria" (P. 281, Enloe, Emphasis in Original).
The twentieth century has seen the rise of the world marketplace. In this world market, Thailand and the Philippines have played the role of whorehouse to the world. I have chosen to explore militarized prostitution in Asia because of the following reasons. First, because so many Asian countries have been affected by this institution, whether directly or indirectly. Second, because so many men have their expectations of and fantasies about women shaped by their participation in the military. Third, because of military policy makers" attempts to construct a type of masculinity that best suit's the military's mission. Fourth, because calculations about militarized prostitution have shaped foreign policies and international alliances. .
While Asian countries that foster prostitution benefit from the presence of the military and the resulting foreign exchange, the women who put themselves out for their counties" development are victims of a threefold oppression on the basis of gender, class and the role of their homeland in international political economy.
