Imperialism

Posted Thursday, October 8, 2009, at 10:53 AM

The cost of inertia cannot be calculated and often is not even apparent until the next crisis. It has, however, added to an international network of bases, troops, equipment and weapons generally made unnecessary by a world that has changed since they were first put in place. In fact, instead of taking a hard look at unnecessary foreign facilities, as the "Base Realignment and Closure Report 2005" has done at home, we are expanding overseas.

This expansion is due in large part to the most insidious of the three contributors to the huge military budget--erroneous imperialistic policies. Chalmers Johnson, author of a must-read book on the subject, sees as its consequences a continual state of war and eventual financial ruin. He fears that we will lose our country, saying, "...it is nowhere written that the United States, in its guise as an empire dominating the world, must go on forever."

The best historic examples of imperial domination of the world are the Roman Republic and the British Empire. Rome disintegrated into a military dictatorship and fell when the military could not keep control of its increasingly restless and far-flung subjects. Britain, although repressive to its colonies, maintained itself as a democracy but at the cost of its empire, which fell as a consequence of World War II.

As with both these earlier empires, the influence and domination of the United States today is not really due to consent; it is accomplished by force or the threat of force. We use two principal justifications to give credibility to our actions. First we say we must prevent or suppress acts of aggression. If that isn't enough, we say we are spreading democracy and our way of life.

George W. Bush documented the first justification in his final budget message:

"The 2009 Budget supports our troops fighting terrorism abroad, strengthens our military for the future, enhances international diplomacy, and protects our homeland from attack."

Tellingly the phrases and the order in which they are listed reflect his administration's priorities. First is fighting abroad, second is an even stronger military, third is diplomacy and finally, fourth is defense of our homeland.

He articulated his belief in the second justification during a debate before the 2004 presidential election:

"I believe that God wants everybody to be free. That's what I believe. And that's been a part of my foreign policy. In Afghanistan, I believe that freedom there is a gift from the almighty."

The more than one million Afghan and Iraqi bystanders killed so far, most of whom worshipped a slightly different God, might not have entirely agreed.

Huge expenditures are increasinly a manifestation of our imperialistic and militaristic policies. Although somewhat lame arguments may be put forth to justify the policies, there can be no argument that their cost is not staggering.

·	The basic Department of Defense budget has grown from $433 billion to $515 billion in just two years.
·	Construction costs, mostly base building, have more than doubled in the same period from $9 billion to over $21 billion.
·	Total spending for Iraq and Afghanistan was $1 trillion at the end of 2008.
·	The Pentagon is calling for an additional 92,000 soldiers and Marines at a cost of $117 billion by 2013.
·	Although four fewer than originally planned, the Navy will seek funding for the purchase of seven ships in fiscal 2009. The service will have a $149 billion budget that year of which $14 billion will go to the ship purchase.
·	Annual expenses for classified military programs and other defense systems not subject to any pubic review, known as "black budgets," are estimated to total $32 billion annually.
·	The Pentagon's Foreign Military Financing program "gives money to countries to buy American weapons and then supplies training in how to use them." In 2003 the request for these funds was $4 billion.
·	Camp Bonsteel in Kosovo, the largest base constructed since Vietnam, cost $36.6 million plus another $180 million each year to operate.
·	Two 2002 projects in Germany illustrate the expenses involved with trying to keep our troops morale up overseas. Committed for the enjoyment of just one Area Suppport Group were $16 million for a fitness center in Bamberg and $9 million for a bowling and entertainment center in Baumholder.
·	Our adventure in Iraq, first said to be necessary to supresss terrorism, then to help spread democracy, costs $10 billion each month with the total already $1 trillion. By the time it is over it could reach $2 trillion for the military mission and fixing all that is now broken. This is more than the Korean ($691 billion) and Vietnam ($650 billion) wars combined.

Waste, inertia and bad policies have resulted in huge, mostly unnecessary costs. The U.S. military is too big, unwieldy and expensive; we have not prepared for the right fight; and the world is too fractious and diverse to dominate. The real threats to our country must be clearly identified, what is unnecessary to meet them must be eliminated, and what is necessary to deal with them must be strengthened--Berkley Bedell.

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Berkley Bedell--Retirement from the U.S. Congress in 1987, neither dulled my interest in the well-being of the people of the United States nor my worries about our governance. I began work in 2006 on a book outlining the country's problems and offering solutions. Jim Frost--I share Berkley's concerns and in 2007 began the job of researching, editing and assisting with writing his book. By early 2009, after finally weathering George W. Bush and recognizing how much the past eight wasted years have set the world back, our focus changed. We had seen no meaningful progress in the efforts to stem the threat of nuclear weapons, reverse global warming, preserve natural resources, reduce military spending, fight disease and hunger, improve health care, deal with the increasing gulf between rich people and poor people, establish a workable economic system, or clean up the political process. For us, these three things became self-evident: First, the problems are global; the U.S. cannot by itself control or solve them. Second, the perfect storm of worldwide catastrophe is already upon us; what must be said cannot wait. Third, in seeking solutions, the problems must be put before as many people as possible as quickly as possible. This blog is the result. There will be much more. We invite you to participate.

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