I see that Mr. Obama has broken another promise. This time it’s the one about extricating our military from Afghanistan. Apparently a deal is being cut to allow anywhere from 6,000 to 15,000 American troops to remain there until 2024, and thereafter! Of course, we should not be surprised, since once we invade someplace, we never seem to leave. For some reason, the US presently maintains 702 military bases in 130 foreign countries. Why have such a large number of bases if they are not to be used at some point? Well, world domination via overwhelming police action would be my guess. It’s no wonder that this country is broke, and cannot provide adequate social services without taxing its base into a recession. That’s why we need an unending stream of crises, or assumed crises to cow the public into our serial aggression. In an era of increasing budgetary constraints, to support the same level of, or proliferation in, military spending, it has become traditional practice to confront an ever more cash-strapped electorate with vicious response to threat after threat from distant potentates who have no means whatsoever of actualizing their threats against us. Fear and the perception of looming danger always provide a productive environment for unthinking and unqualified support of military strength. The US is truly the champion state for military spending. Many vested interests certainly do not want to see the least bit of reduction in the absolutely bloated defense budget. Consider the following metrics for military spending for the 18 largest spending nations in 2009, in terms of 2008 purchasing power parity. First is the nation, second is $billions in reported military spending, and third is % military spending to GDP: USA, $663 billion, 4.3%; China, 99, 2.0; UK, 69, 2.5; France, 67, 2.3; Russia, 61, 3.5; Germany, 48, 1.3; Japan, 47, 0.9; Saudi Arabia, 39, 8.2; Italy, 37, 1.7; India, 37, 2.6; South Korea, 27, 2.8; Brazil, 27, 1.5; Canada, 21, 1.3; Australia, 20, 1.8; Spain, 19, 1.2; Turkey, 19, 2.2; Israel, 14, 7.0; and Greece, 14, 3.6. The above numbers show that the US spends 6.7 times the amount that China spends, 10.9 times that of Russia, and 1.9 times that of the next 5 biggest spenders. The US spent $663 billion as compared to the next, 17 largest spenders, who in aggregate, paid out a total of $665 billion. The US spent as much for military adventures in 2009 as the next 17 largest countries combined! My assertion is that powerful, vested interests in the US profit from war and war readiness. Since all organizations take steps to perpetuate themselves, the military interests will take steps to increase their power, control, and profit. Spending for imperial purposes in such magnitude is difficult to effect in an era of stability connoting generalized peace. Instead, we are, and will be under our current elites, confronted with an Orwellian construct out of 1984, where war, or war footing is permanent.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 02:30:06 +0000
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