by Edward S. Herman
Noted media analyst Prof. Edward S. Herman unfolds the core of global militarization and neo-liberalism to establish the threat of US supremacy to the third world nations.
This harsh title is not based on the belief that U.S. leaders are the most vicious ever, although they are amply arrogant, ruthless and even vicious, rendered more hypocritical by the veneer of self-righteousness and Godly service. Rather it rests, first, on the facts that they have far more destructive power than any predecessors, have already used it and threaten to escalate their violence, and are not only subject to inadequate constraints but operate in a political culture that is volatile, manipulable, and contains threatening irrational elements. The rise of U.S. destructive power, far beyond anything related to national “defense,” and far beyond the capabilities of any potential rivals, was clearly purposeful and designed to serve both the transnational business and financial interests of the U.S. elite and the contractor-Pentagon-politician vested interest in militarization—the military-industrial complex (MIC).
The so-called “defense budget” should properly be called an “offense budget.” This budget, of enormous size—now exceeding the total for the rest of the world taken together--and the increasing aggressiveness of the U.S. elite in using its military superiority to “project power” by threats and violence in distant places, has put great pressure on other countries to build up their own arms. They need the arms not only to defend themselves against possible U.S. attack, but also against the U.S.’s use of its military superiority to establish threatening alliances and bases on their very borders. Such alliance building and basing has been carried out against substantial powers such as Russia and China, as well as lesser regional powers such as Iran. With imperialist arrogance, U.S. officials and pundits have found the arms budget increases and weapons-testing responses of these lesser powers to be “provocative” and “challenging.” But these responses are absolutely inevitable, and the U.S. offense budget and power projection promotes the advance of an already emerging new arms race.
This harsh title is not based on the belief that U.S. leaders are the most vicious ever, although they are amply arrogant, ruthless and even vicious, rendered more hypocritical by the veneer of self-righteousness and Godly service. Rather it rests, first, on the facts that they have far more destructive power than any predecessors, have already used it and threaten to escalate their violence, and are not only subject to inadequate constraints but operate in a political culture that is volatile, manipulable, and contains threatening irrational elements. The rise of U.S. destructive power, far beyond anything related to national “defense,” and far beyond the capabilities of any potential rivals, was clearly purposeful and designed to serve both the transnational business and financial interests of the U.S. elite and the contractor-Pentagon-politician vested interest in militarization—the military-industrial complex (MIC).
The so-called “defense budget” should properly be called an “offense budget.” This budget, of enormous size—now exceeding the total for the rest of the world taken together--and the increasing aggressiveness of the U.S. elite in using its military superiority to “project power” by threats and violence in distant places, has put great pressure on other countries to build up their own arms. They need the arms not only to defend themselves against possible U.S. attack, but also against the U.S.’s use of its military superiority to establish threatening alliances and bases on their very borders. Such alliance building and basing has been carried out against substantial powers such as Russia and China, as well as lesser regional powers such as Iran. With imperialist arrogance, U.S. officials and pundits have found the arms budget increases and weapons-testing responses of these lesser powers to be “provocative” and “challenging.” But these responses are absolutely inevitable, and the U.S. offense budget and power projection promotes the advance of an already emerging new arms race.
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