When trying to understand the geopolitical reality of Spain, one must never
forget the two military bases the United States actively maintains in the
country. One of which currently serves as the main transit point between the
United States, Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2004, following a large-scale
terrorist attack in the country’s capital, attributed to Islamic terrorists,
Spanish voters swept the ballot boxes and demanded a new foreign policy. For
a brief moment during the after shock of destruction at home, the Spanish
population rose to a leading role in the resistance against illegal wars and
occupations. Soon after, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero became Prime Minister
and Spain’s troops were removed from Iraq, silencing angry Spaniards.
Four years later, this transitioned and fully-fledged western democracy,
which is yet to declare Franco’s regime as illegal, presented itself in
front of the ballot box. Mr. Zapatero fell seven seats short in the
350-member lower house of parliament from winning the absolute majority. He
now has to build a governing coalition either with the Catalan nationalist
