We (the US) are like the British at the end of World War II: desperately trying to shore up an empire that we never needed and can no longer afford, using methods that often resemble those of failed empires of the past — including the Axis powers of World War II and the former Soviet Union, notes Chalmers Johnson.
Chalmers Johnson, The Huffington Post, July 31, 2009
Ten Steps to Take to Do So
However ambitious President Barack Obama’s domestic plans, one unacknowledged issue has the potential to destroy any reform efforts he might launch. Think of it as the 800-pound gorilla in the American living room: our longstanding reliance on imperialism and militarism in our relations with other countries and the vast, potentially ruinous global empire of bases that goes with it. The failure to begin to deal with our bloated military establishment and the profligate use of it in missions for which it is hopelessly inappropriate will, sooner rather than later, condemn the United States to a devastating trio of consequences: imperial overstretch, perpetual war, and insolvency, leading to a likely collapse similar to that of the former Soviet Union.
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Tags: Afghan people, American military power, Chalmers Johnson, Colonel Douglas MacGregor, FATA, global empire, global hegemon, imperialism and militarism, military bases around the world, Nick Turse, Pashtun tribes, pilotless drones, President Barack Obama, United States, war in Afghanistan, Waziristan
This entry was posted on July 31, 2009 at 10:22 am and is filed under Afghanistan, Commentary, imperialism, President Barack Obama, Uncategorized, US policy, USA, war. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Peace and Justice Post
Three Good Reasons To Liquidate Our Empire
We (the US) are like the British at the end of World War II: desperately trying to shore up an empire that we never needed and can no longer afford, using methods that often resemble those of failed empires of the past — including the Axis powers of World War II and the former Soviet Union, notes Chalmers Johnson.
Chalmers Johnson, The Huffington Post, July 31, 2009
Ten Steps to Take to Do So
However ambitious President Barack Obama’s domestic plans, one unacknowledged issue has the potential to destroy any reform efforts he might launch. Think of it as the 800-pound gorilla in the American living room: our longstanding reliance on imperialism and militarism in our relations with other countries and the vast, potentially ruinous global empire of bases that goes with it. The failure to begin to deal with our bloated military establishment and the profligate use of it in missions for which it is hopelessly inappropriate will, sooner rather than later, condemn the United States to a devastating trio of consequences: imperial overstretch, perpetual war, and insolvency, leading to a likely collapse similar to that of the former Soviet Union.
Continues >>
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Tags: Afghan people, American military power, Chalmers Johnson, Colonel Douglas MacGregor, FATA, global empire, global hegemon, imperialism and militarism, military bases around the world, Nick Turse, Pashtun tribes, pilotless drones, President Barack Obama, United States, war in Afghanistan, Waziristan
This entry was posted on July 31, 2009 at 10:22 am and is filed under Afghanistan, Commentary, imperialism, President Barack Obama, Uncategorized, US policy, USA, war. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.