I’m going through another one of my re-evaluations of reality as I see it. It occurs to me that if George Bush senior just ignored the whole Kuwaiti crisis back in 91, that 9-11 would never have happened. Live by the sword, you die by the sword. If America just concentated it’s resources and endeavours towards the well-being of its citizens, America would be even more prosperous. There is no economic return for the impact of a million dollar missile that I can fathom. I hear about the security of oil supplies, but that can certainly be addressed by the almighty american dollar.
So my point is, wouldn’t America be far better off if it just accepted the situations that occur around the globe without trying to spend american money and lives to influence them? Wouldn’t terrorism stop for Americans if they would just stop supporting Israel and influencing MENA affairs? Why can’t America just relax a little. I just can’t see a national security issue now that the cold war is over unless America insists on being the policeman of the world.
As the current super-power in the world, the US is screwed either way. If the US never stepped into world conflicts they would be hated as a passive country. (Well, now that I think about it, the US couldn’t be a super-power without an offensive military force.) I’m not going to ever say that the US always makes the right decisions of when to and when not to get involved, but my point remains they are screwed no matter what they do. It’s part of the nature of being a super-power. Comes with the territory I guess.
Perhaps a bit hopeful. How much is the US willing to pay for oil? I know there’s a fair amount outside the ME, but there’s a reason it’s a major source. I’d presume that paying an extra $trillion (say) for oil would have a pretty similar effect as putting it towards the military (which can then be used for other things).
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And bad things never happen to nice people. I presume you’re not planning on disbanding the Coast or Border Guards (are they technically military branches?), and the armed forces of course back them up as necessary. Yes an invasion of the US seems pretty damn unlikely, but that is because it’s a (the) superpower. Whether Hawaii say would be so safe without the military is another question. And I’m not gonna guess at the potential knock-on effects of no possible US interventions anywhere at all.
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And stopped exporting their culture of course, and handed back any political refugees, and so on. But yeah, it might. OTOH, terrorism is used because someone can’t fight their opponent on equal terms. The US would still be a symbol as the centre of the West, cultural imperialism, globalisation, capatalism, all that, so I’m not sure it’s gonna be loved by everyone. And the recent war might also prove to be a pretty good deterrent against terrorism (we all hope).
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Eh. Some might argue that benefitting humanity in general is a good thing. I’m not a massive John Donne fan myself, but it’s a nice sentiment.
Shortie: For the United States of America, the Coast Guard is one of the Armed Forces. Other countries arrange their services differently. For example, the Maritime Safety Agency is Japan’s equivalent of the Coast Guard and is not part of the Self Defense Forces.
The question is not whether America needs armed forces. The question is what is it going to do with them. That decision, under the present program is for the most part made by the President with Congress obediently rubber stamping and appropriating. If you don’t like what is being dome with the armed forces you better think about getting a President who 1) has a chance of being elected by the electorate and in the Electorial College, and 2) is likely to do stuff that you approve of.
This is more a semantic issue than an actual fact. After a revolution in 1949, the army was disbanded and it is constitutionally forbidden to maintain a national army except for urgent national defense. In its place a Civic Guard is maintained that is very small, but is organized and equipped more for military rather than police duties. It has, for example, repelled incursions from Nicaragua of Costa Rican dissidents. Japan is in a similar situation, though its ‘military’ is much larger. Rather than an army, navy and air force, Japan has Ground, Maritime and Air Self Defense Forces.
I can’t see the US doing completely without a military. A smaller one, perhaps, or one that isn’t sent out as often, but the hallmark of nations is their ability to define their borders with armed men and women. The curse of civilization, I suppose.
Well, in that case, feel free to describe your current economic situation and all the decisions made by your father twelve years ago that may or may not have affected it.
And if it turns out something your dad did might have had a negative effect on your current life, then let’s do something dramatic about it, like taking away your car and all your credit cards and whatnot. For that matter, you don’t go around hitting people as a rule, do you? So you won’t mind if you have one hand tied behind your back.
Does the word “Power Vacuum” mean anything to you? History would suggest the outcome of the U.S. suddenly retreating from dominance would probably be worse than our current situation.