Tag: Afghanistan

Aggression Not Negotiation: The U.S. War Machine On the Hunt

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US Empire

“The “American way of war,” is to seek absolute annihilation and to treat the other side as subhuman monsters bent on world domination.” [Todd Greentree, Foreign Service officer, once stationed in Afghanistan] Whether it’s Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen…the list goes on and on, the U.S. “way of war” in these countries is unnervingly similar. From accusations of a Communist (lately updated to “terrorist) conspiracy to promises to bring American ”values” to the masses, the U.S. MO starts with an invasion, drones, bombs, a cadre of indigenous troops usually at the behest of a U.S. ‘fav’ autocrat doing the dirty work of the empire in-house. But what about the U.S. State Department? Isn’t the Secretary of State supposed to be America’s chief negotiator? Not so fast. The U.S. always starts an invasion convinced (by the generals) despite a history of failed interventions that it can beat the enemy du jour on the battlefield. Negotiating is for weak countries not the world’s sole super-power. Reality always proves them wrong. The latest candidate is this cavalcade of missteps is Ukraine. Here’s how it works. First the chest pounding and inflated promises. Here’s President Biden on March 26, 2022, predicting the imminent demise of Russia: “Russia’s ruble is reduced to rubble. Their economy will be cut to half. The ruble is crumbling now.” [President Biden, March 26, 2022] Two months later: “Russia’s ruble strengthens to 57.1 per US Dollar, its strongest in over four years.” Now with most of the world, including NATO “partners,” predicting the defeat of Ukraine, Biden digs in “America . . . will stand with you as long as it takes.” (State of the Union, Feb 7), How long do you think it will take before Biden and the rest of his war cabinet do their usual two-step out of Ukraine leaving the pain and suffering of its people in the rearview mirror? For more on the pernicious history of U.S. foreign policy disasters tune into “Aggression Not Negotiation: The U.S. War Machine On the Hunt”

 

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U.S. Hypocrisy and the War in Ukraine

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Ukraine and U.S.

Not all refugees are equal in a world ruled by elites where incompetence, greed, and obeisance to wealth and power create calamitous conditions for the millions who are not wealthy or powerful. Along with their co-conspirators the mainstream media, the U.S. and its hand-maiden European countries would have you believe that there are two classes of refugees — the worthy and the unworthy [Noam Chomsky]. You can probably guess where the line of demarcation falls. On the worthy side, Europeans, in this case Ukrainians, majority white and with the patina of “civilized” stamped all over them. Here’s what’s in store for them as they flee home and country — “At the Polish border, guards hand out sandwiches to Ukrainians in waiting rooms. Polish citizens donate piles of toys and meet migrants with hot tea and free rides to where they need to go.” If you were both unworthy and fleeing war-torn Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya or Syria, you weren’t so lucky. As the bombs fell, and the refugee totals swelled, Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán announced that Hungary’s restrictive immigration policies would remain in place — “[W]e aren’t going to let anyone in.” He’s not the only leader shaping his immigration policy to the skin color of refugees: “EU, fearful of refugee crisis, delays response on Afghan asylum.” [Aljazeera, 10/15/2021] Call it what you will — disgraceful, obscene, horrendous — chalk it up to the price extracted by one nation in particular whose dreams of a Pax Americana have spiraled down into a death grip on past glories fast slipping away. People all over the world are feeling the pain of that “grand delusion.” [John Mearscheimer] Check out what happens when racism determines the fate of millions in “U.S. Hypocrisy and the War in Ukraine.”

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U.S. in the Crosshairs: Today an Empire, Tomorrow a Failed State

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WAR

Being an empire is hard work. Trillion-dollar military budgets, multiple countries to invade, sanction and turn into wastelands. For decades, it has consumed the half-wits that design and carry out what is laughingly referred to as U.S. foreign policy. As the Russia/Ukraine fiasco captures the world’s attention, it’s important to understand how the U.S. with its long history of fomenting international discord has been a major part of the momentum bringing the world to this perilous moment. Since 1945 the U.S. has embraced military solutions to world problems. It hasn’t worked out well for the U.S. or the countries in its crosshairs. Greece and Italy were among the first victims and once the CIA got through interfering, both countries were safely in the hands of rich oligarchs in business and finance. In a pattern that would be repeated endlessly, the U.S. sent troops to Korea. Much more than a losing a war, the toll included three million Koreans, 38,000 Americans and a destroyed country. It happened again in Vietnam and more recently in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Somalia and Yemen, to name a few. Not that the U.S. with its impressive fire power hasn’t put a few in the win column. Solid victories in the Dominican Republic and Panama, two little countries with a combined population of just over six million and pathetically few military resources. How good is that? Nonetheless the U.S. keeps plugging along, alert to even an infinitesimal injury to its bloated self-worth. There’s lots more to talk about but little to brag about. For an unmatched tale of villainy and ignominy, check out U.S. in the Crosshairs: Today an Empire, Tomorrow a Failed State.

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