* Take note that I included a link to a Definition of the Word "Hegemony" in a deliberate effort to be insulting to most of the readers [soon to be former readers] of this Blog in the United States.
Ever since the United States proved itself to be a substantial Military Power in the World - roughly around the time of the first World War - we have been presenting ourselves to the rest of the World as the "Greatest Superpower on Earth." Nevermind that we have actually needed the assistance of the rest of the World for numerous conflicts since World War I, we are contented to see ourselves as the "Baddest Asses on the Block." And it is true, because Asses we are.
The United States has, with few exceptions, been relatively quick to send in Military Forces around the World when Diplomacy slows down or stalls. Which Political Party is in Power seems to have less impact on our willingness to use Force than many might believe.
Take a look at the United States Navy Link above with some abbreviated descriptions of the instances where the United States has used Force to accomplish a particular set of Goals.
Now, peruse the next Link which shows American Use of Force from 1890 to 2011. If you have looked at both Links, you will see that there are not many gaps in History where the United States refrained from using Force in any absolute way.
What does it mean though? Were the numerous instances where America projected its Force into the World at large not justified? I guess that all depends on who you ask.
"We who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and ultimately human fulfillment, are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefiting from their success -- only then can societies remain economically alive, dynamic, progressive, and free. Trust the people. This is the one irrefutable lesson of the entire postwar period contradicting the notion that rigid government controls are essential to economic development." -- President Ronald Reagan, September 29, 1981.
Ronald Reagan was the United States President who has, with few exceptions, been the Icon of what American Power and Might should be to many in power, including the Media. Individuals from both Major Political Parties in the United States quote Ronald Reagan as though his words went beyond simple Political Rhetoric. In spite of their rampant Xenophobia, many in Political Power treat him much like Disciples treat a Guru in India, or Sri Lanka.
Curiously however, the Reagan "Boom Years" were followed by a long long long period of Economic Hardship, which has extended to the present United States Economic situation. While cutting Taxes on Corporations and Wealthy Individuals, Reagan also oversaw the largest expansion of Military Spending in United States History. So, what went wrong with the "Reagan Revolution"?
Though the Link above features a Commentary from 2004, much of what it suggests about the impact of Reagan's Policies still applies to our current situation. Reagan's Tax Cuts on Wealthy Corporations and Individuals, paired with a ginormous Defense Budget, sent the Economy into recurring spasms in the decades since his leaving Office. The Boom-Bust Economic Cycles that have followed, are great for Financial Speculators, but not so great for poor Workers trying to survive on ever-decreasing household incomes.
Magically, Tax Dollars were making their way in ever larger amounts into Private Sector Hands. Reagan's Push to Privatize everything turned into a frenzied War Cry for the Political Right in the United States. It was later co-opted and adopted by both Major Political Parties for use into our current times. The number of new Jobs and economic opportunities these efforts created for Taxpayers has not only lagged behind the Pace of Privatization, it has pretty much amounted to nothing at all.
So, did the increased spending on Defense at least yield some measurable dividends? If you count Dead Bodies as Dividends, then the answer is "Yes." If you work for a Defense Contracting Corporation, or are a "Military Contractor," [Read in Mercenary here], then this Economic Strategy has been WONDERFUL for you.
The "Private Military Contractors" that are now being employed around the World in record numbers are not bound in most cases by the same sets of Laws that were agreed to under International Treaties to make war nicer and less ugly. Instead, they operate with agendas focused mainly on Profit and Corporate Goals, and are frequently accused of employing brutal and inhumane methods of accomplishing their objectives. Companies providing such services have very close ties to a number of Governments, including that of the United States. Well, at least the people with Lots of Guns appear to be doing well.
Meanwhile, in the United States, things are not going well for the Middle Class:
Please do not misunderstand me, however. I see little sacred about the Middle Class in the United States. They are little more than a Bell-weather of the overall Economic Health of the Nation. But, if they are disappearing, then our Economy is probably not doing all that well. In spite of all the Spiral-Eyed LOVE that the Political Candidates have disingenuously expressed for this Country over the last couple of Decades, the Policies they have put into place have virtually destroyed all the Mythical Virtues that Americans supposedly dearly love.
So, when Barack Hussein Obama was elected in 2008, many people [foolishly] thought that his election signaled a period of Greater Respect for the American Dream for all Peoples. After all, Obama is of mixed Racial Background, (which a lot of White and Black People ASSUMED made him sensitive to the needs of the Poor), and was raised to believe in all the Standard American Values that have supposedly sustained this country for more than two centuries now.
Apparently, those who believed that Obama supported Traditional American Values were right. Since taking office, he expanded two Wars, and started two others. There is little more Traditional or American than starting or expanding Wars. He oversaw a surge in Troop numbers in both Iraq and Afghanistan, while engaging in both bombing Libya and initiating Unmanned Aerial Predator Drone Strikes against Targets in Pakistan. For most who are familiar with the Rules of War, flying Weapons over a country and sending Missiles to hit targets in that Nation, constitutes an Act of War.
Obama has also given Trillions of Dollars to large Corporations that were "Too Big to Fail" after those Corporations engaged in questionable Business Practices, and laid off record numbers of American Workers. Where did those Jobs go?
If the growth of the Chinese and Indian Economies are any Tell, then it looks like American Corporations are betting on cheaper Labor Costs in both China and India. Of course, lower Labor Costs are not the only attraction. With nearly no Environmental Protection, or Worker Rights, both India and China are ideal places to abuse both the Environment and Workers all in one easy step. So, if the Workers in those countries try to Unionize, the Governments will just throw them in Jail or kill them. No muss. No fuss.
What is left for the United States in terms of World Power? Well, in the final days of the Roman Empire, the Roman Leaders engaged in many Military Conquests, trying to regain lost respect in the World. It appears as though the United States may be following that same path.
With the ink barely dry on our agreements to leave Iraq, and Troops still in Afghanistan, we are now drawing up new plans to invade Iran, if needed. The pesky Iranians are being accused of trying to make Big Boom Boom (Nuclear Bombs), and not playing nice with Israel. Our Leaders are long on talk, but short on proof. Nonetheless, we are moving our big Battle Toys towards them with ever-increasing thunder.
Iranian Oil Reserves rank as the Third Largest in the World. They would be a real prize for those outside of Iran who wish to have unfettered access to them. What a shame that Iran is also run by a Tyrannical and Fanatical Regime. They are so easy to vilify too. The Western World is wholesale engaged in Islamophobia. Forget that Nations like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan have Leaders that practice bastardized versions of Islam. And poo poo that the International Criminals that we loosely call "Terrorists" usually have no actual religion at all, we are still willing to believe pretty much anything negative that is suggested about those who practice Islam. They are just in our way.
That has never stopped the United States before. American Politicians refuse to be outflanked by Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings, Queens, or Ayatollahs. They will impose our will upon whichever Power chooses to resist it. If we cannot do that via Diplomacy or Economic Sanction, then we will resort to Military Intervention.
What will be the Ultimate Cost of this constant series of Military Interventions, however? Some estimates have the two Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan costing the United States in excess of $4 Trillion as of the end of 2011. And, what about the Social Costs? We are looking at perhaps seeing a generation of young people born and grow to the age of maturity without ever knowing a day where the United States was not at war.
There is not yet any agreement on when the War in Afghanistan will end. Given the History of Afghanistan, it is likely that the Taliban will engage in offensives that will set back American Plans to control the Country. Unlike Iraq, Afghanistan is not greatly divided among exploitable sects of Islamic Sect-Differentiated Tribes. The Afghan Warlords are not all friends with each other, but their mutual hatred for our Troops seem to renew their will fight against us at the most inopportune moments.
So, is the Hegemonic Era of the United States drawing to a close, or will we revamp our Empire by invading Iran? It is a question that warrants significant thought on the part of our Citizens.
For a moment, back to my insult from the start of this Post. I would just like to ask how many people reading this Post actually knew what Hegemony meant before seeing the included definition? Ah ha! I am going to cruelly go out on a limb and guess that the majority of people reading this Post had no idea what the exact definition of the word is prior to seeing the definition. But why is that important?
Well, and I fully expect to get slammed for saying this, it is part of the reason that this Country is in decline. We are a Nation of People who has come to believe that we can accomplish great things WITHOUT HARDSHIP. Let me irritate you even further now.
The image above is of an Occupy Wall Street Drum Circle. Sadly, this is what passes for meaningful Protest in the United States currently. Few Americans understand what Nonviolent Resistance means, and fewer still recognize that even Nonviolent Resistance entails risks to the Resisters.
Take a look at the video Posted above. It is produced by the now Defunct Rap Duo, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, which was comprised of Pop Music Icon Michael Franti, and Turntablist Ron Tse. It is a Song they did called "Televison: Drug of the Nation."
I Posted the video as an illustration of the sorry state of affairs that the United States is in currently. The situation has actually worsened since the video was first made, and our population seems to know less about History and World Events than ever before. We actually still have a huge chunk of goofballs who doubt whether or not Human Activity is contributing to Climate Change. That is pathetic.
How can the Population of a Nation whose Citizens who have no idea what Hegemony means, no idea of many of the Truths of History, and clearly no idea how to get their Government under control, expect to keep their country operating?
Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested 30 times in his Life. Most of those arrests centered around Nonviolent activities related to his efforts within the Civil Rights Movement. Hundreds upon Hundreds of people were arrested and beaten during that Movement. Many were actually killed, including Martin Luther King, Jr. himself. The American Civil Rights Movement, just like the Nonviolent Campaign for Indian Independence led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi suffered lots of Arrests, Beatings, and Deaths. No Movement, Violent or otherwise, is successful without some horrible costs.
Somehow, we in the United States have come to believe that we can, without any evidence from History or Logic, coerce our Leaders into creating a greater Democratic Republic without truly educating ourselves, sacrificing any luxuries, or risking anything of true value. We screamed when a few students were Pepper Sprayed after protests at a California University, and quickly forgot how many people are Homeless, Hungry, and without Medical Care every day of the year.
People hold both homemade and custom printed signs declaring "We are the 99%." Meanwhile, few of those same people donate time or money to groups offering services to the Homeless, Hungry, or Sick that are without Healthcare. Some have quit their Jobs to "Occupy" Parks and attend Organizing Meetings. Yet, few of those same people show up when the call is put out to volunteer for Food Drives for the Needy.
So, in spite of all the noise made by Occupy Wall Street, Michael Moore, the American Civil Liberties Union, and any number of other Groups and Individuals calling for "Change," most Americans are content to sit back and wait for others to make those changes for them. For all the bluster and noise, that is exactly what OWS does when it calls for the "1%" to change, and/or for the Government to force them to change. Meanwhile, the largest majority of them do little or nothing on a personal level to help even a single Needy Person.
So as our Sons, Daughters, Brothers, Sisters, Mothers, and Fathers go off to fight the next War, will we be content to say that we Occupied to stop the ongoing Hegemony and the Poverty and Suffering that they are about to create? I say as a Veteran of the United States Military, that while I appreciate and applaud every Military Member who volunteers to serve for the love of Helping, I am saddened that our Military Personnel are being used to further goals not worthy of their efforts. If we want to stop that, we must stop occupying the ranks of the Military until we change how they are used around the World.
If we want to see Homeless ended, we must not wait for any Government to build homes for us. We must get together in our Communities and collect the Manpower and Resources to build them ourselves. If we want to feed people, we must start Community Gardens, and Food Giveaways, and Jobs Programs with Local Businesses, not wait for Uncle Sam to do that for us. Uncle Sam never will. History has shown us that.
We must support Community Clinics that provide Health Services to those who cannot afford it. And we must actually buy Stock in the Healthcare Companies in large Numbers, go to Stockholder Meetings, and DEMAND that those Companies make coverage available at a cost that all can afford. [There are Jesuit Nuns doing this already, by the way] If we are unwilling to do these things ourselves, then we deserve to see our Nation pass away, because we are not doing what it takes to sustain it ourselves.
So, with mixed feelings, I believe that the United States is on its last Political Legs, and seeing its last days. What will replace it I have no idea. I hope that some other powerful Nation moves in quickly to disarm or deactivate our Nuclear Weapons before they can be used to cause harm.
I also hope that, whatever replaces it, places more emphasis on educating and empowering its Citizens. The "Founding Fathers," for all the Mythology surrounding their motives, were not big on empowering the Masses. They created the Electoral College to prevent us from having Direct Elections. We need a Government to replace this one that believes in true Democracy. One that also believes in a Social Safety Net, and creating Economic and Social Mobility for its Citizens. What we do not need is another Government bent on Hegemony, and the mindless assertion-imposition of Power. Such Hegemony morally and economically bankrupts a Nation. That is what we have right now. We are in decline. Peace and Compassion to you.
Jeffrey
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