THE STORY SO FAR: YR 2: PT 16: WEDNESDAY

BLOGGING, WAR, PEACE—AND BOOKS

You can make a very strong case that virtually all of America’s wars and military excursions since WW II—Korea is marginal—have been a mistake; and that our excessive military expenditure over that period has been a primary driver in pushing our enemies into a whole series of arms races.

In short, the argument that the excessive militarism, which the U.S. has displayed for so many decades, has been a disaster for both the American people and the World as a whole—is compelling. And I write that as someone who writes about military matters, who is a great supporter of the U.S. Army, and whose fiction books feature considerable violence.

But, I have also experienced real violence—and can tell you this: War is best confined to books and movies. It should absolutely be the last resort in real life. 

War and militarism are also a staggering waste of resources—and the fact that so many American families have done so badly economically for so long is due, in no small measure, to the fact that we have spent far too much money on the wrong things.

It’s time to re-allocate our priorities. The U.S. needs re-building.

In that spirit, let me quote from that quirky, but consistently interesting blog, FABIUS MAXIMUS.

The world’s richest, most powerful nation remains locked in fear about tiny numbers of insurgents fighting in the poorest regions of the world. We spend on our military many times the sum of all likely enemy nations combined. We spend on counter-terrorism a fantastic multiple (probably thousands) more than spent by every terrorist group on the planet. Something is wrong with this picture.

This madness suggests the time has come for change. The wheel of history has rolled to a new era in which the US can and should return to its non-interventionist roots, a defensive strategy.

There is no perfect safety outside Heaven. But we can achieve reasonable security for far less than we spend today, freeing funds desperately needed elsewhere.

The rewards will be large costs savings, fewer Americans sacrificed in futile foreign wars, and equivalent or perhaps greater security. Making the change takes only the involvement of the American people: will and effort.  We can do it.