The consolidation of power post-WW2 by the United States, and its subsequent foreign policy decisions have resulted in massive suffering and theft of natural resources, second only to British colonialism. Today the US military is currently active in eight conflicts.
They are as follows:
1. Iraq
2. Afghanistan
3. Libya
4. Pakistan
5. Syria
6. Somalia
7. Yemen
8. Niger
Meanwhile we are saber rattling with Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela.
There are two reasons why I oppose this level of Imperial aggression: the humanitarian case, and the economic case. These are all instances of aggression on the part of our government. Not a single moral case can be made in favor of the United States.
It is quite clear that the US military has acted as an arm of private Capital. From its proxy wars against Communists, to its attacks on secular Arab Nationalism, Western corporate interests have followed the US military, or have outright lobbied for US intervention. I think providing a bit of history is appropriate to support my point. Before I do so, I want to make a crucial point. I am not writing in support of the autocratic rulers the US has worked in opposition of in these examples. Many of them are/were guilty of human rights abuses. The fundamental point of my argument is this; we MUST be critical of our government's abuses, and demand it takes responsibility for the suffering and loss of civilian life that has occurred due its actions. Never confuse solidarity for the victims of war for support of war criminals and their combatants.
Let's begin
Korea - The US backs West-friendly mass murderer Syngman Rhee in Korea in order to blunt Soviet influence on the peninsula, and prevented a unified Korea. The following war claimed nearly 3 million, yes MILLION, civilian lives. South Korea became dependent on US foreign aid and capital inflows to build their economy over the following decades, which were filled with authoritarian governments and political violence. Their economy has been heavily reliant on exports to the United States and other Western economies.
Iran - The CIA overthrows democratically elected, and secular Prime Minister Mosaddegh after plans to nationalize Iran's petroleum industry were revealed. British oil interests had colonized Iran for a number of years, and Mosaddegh was a serious threat to their interests. The coup was successful, and the Shiite Shah of Iran took power at the behest of British oil. These events destabilized Iranian sovereignty, leading directly to the Iranian revolution in 1978, which put Khomeini into power.
Guatemala - The CIA overthrows popular, and democratically elected Jacobo Arbenz after instituting a series of land reforms which aimed to distribute land ownership among the peasantry. The United Fruit Company lobbied the US government for intervention and the coup ensued. Several decades of Civil War followed with immense bloodshed, all for the UFCO to maintain its profits. Fun fact, the UFCO was the primary influence of the term "banana republic", named after its ability to undermine sovereign Latin American governments in order to build their industry.
Vietnam - The Vietnam War is probably the greatest example of American Exceptionalism. Two decades of bombing, napalm, and ground fighting claimed the lives of well over a half million civilians. French colonial interests lobbied for US intervention in order to stem the Communist majority in the North, and divided the country in two.
Cuba - Long a colony of the United States, Castro's revolution, at first lauded by the US, quickly ousted US financial interests after seizing control of the country. Castro's government expropriated large quantities of land, especially those owned by US entities. Eisenhower's administration quickly decided that retaking control of Cuba was a top priority, and Kennedy continued that focus, having said that the US would be "swept away in the debris of history" if it failed to take back Cuba. International opinion was important however, particularly among the rest of Latin America. US economic interests spread throughout the entire region, and there was a massive fear that Castro's Cuba would serve as model for other Latin American countries to oust US interests in a wave of Communist uprisings. Political and economic sanctions, along with outright CIA-planned invasion attempts (Bay of Pigs), have created decades of economic hardship for the Cuban people, long after any real concern over Communism in Latin America has dissipated.
There are more examples than these in recent history, and I encourage anyone reading to spend time looking into our government's foreign policy decisions.
What about today? Let's take a look at why our government is involved in each of the eight theaters of war I listed earlier.
1. Iraq - Much like with Iran, control over Iraqi oil supply is of major strategic importance. The difference being, Iraq was exponentially weaker than Iran has ever been. A full scale invasion of Iran would never work without causing a World War due to the fact it would drag Saudi, Pakistani, Indian, and Chinese interests into play. Saddam was unilaterally hated, and economic sanctions had devastated the country. 9/11 and Desert Storm were recently in mind domestically, and Neoconservative influence was powerfully in control of US politics and propaganda. All the pieces were in place, and the invasion occurred. The ensuing occupation however, has not gone so easily, but that is a story for another day.
2. Afghanistan has been a place of interest for a number of years, particularly due to its location. It was the pass-through for the Soviets into the oil rich Middle East. Reagan's administration spent years arming and training the Mujahideen to resist Soviet occupation through guerrilla tactics. Little could the US predict that the Afghani rebels would later form the Taliban. Afghani civilians have suffered immensely for decades due to those Cold War tensions, and the US War on Terror, which took a strong focus on eliminating the Taliban. Between constant bombing, ground fighting, and economic sanctions, the death toll has become significant, with nearly 30,000 civilian casualties, and tens of thousands more dead and dying due to economic hardship. Also keep in mind that the heroin trade is also a crucial source of funding for covert military operations around the region, and Afghanistan is a primary source of poppies. US soldiers are currently guarding poppy fields as I write this.
3. Libya - Again, much like with Iran, Arab nationalism is a great threat to Western oil interests in the Middle east. Gaddafi's successful revolution in 1969 caused a lot of concern in the Western international community. Gaddafi quickly nationalized the oil industry and enacted social reforms which quickly made Libya the most socially developed country in Africa, with the highest standard of living. The issue however, was Libyan oil revenue soon began to fund revolutionary armies and terror groups in opposition to Western interests. Gaddafi was a key target of the Reagan administration, especially due to Libya's control of uranium rich Chad. The West failed to remove Gaddafi from power for decades until the Arab Spring revolts washed over Libya and Gaddafi was killed in 2011. As stated earlier, the events following the collapse of Gaddafi's regime have been chaotic. Islamist militias have jockeyed for power with an inept central government propped up by the international community failing to exert any control. The people of Libya meanwhile have suffered tremendously with the economy collapsing and the development of a slavery market operated and funded by extremist militias in the region.
4. Pakistan - Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, Pakistan is in a geographically important position, and was coerced into a shaky alliance with the US in the War on Terror due to that fact. The reward was lifting of economic sanctions and years of financial aid and weapon supply. Relations fell apart in recent years, particularly after Bin Laden was killed, and the US learned that Pakistani officials aided and abetted Bin Laden. Pakistan has been the target of years of drone warfare, reaching its height during the Obama administration, but recently slowing. Civilian death estimates range widely based on source, with the number lying somewhere between 200-1000, with thousands more injured, and hundreds of buildings and homes destroyed.
5. Syria - The US has been interested in control over the Syrian region for decades. The CIA even backed a failed coup in 1949, and then again in 1957, in opposition of Communist control in Syria. Western oil interests have been interested in Syria due to its geographical positions and natural gas reserves. The original coup in '49 was a direct result of Syria's holdout from ARAMCO's Trans-Arabian pipeline plan. Declassified CIA documents from the 80's showed that US had intentions of "bringing real muscle to bear" against Syria, with the goal of regime change for Hafez al-Assad's closure of the Iraqi pipeline, and opposition to Israel's interests in Lebanon. Today, Bashar al-Assad is seen as the same autocratic opposition to US/Israeli interests as his father was. Missile attacks and support of rebel forces by the US has led to civilian casualties and human rights abuses. They have emboldened Islamist violence in northern Syria and Iraq, with the Kurdish rebels they supposedly support bearing the brunt of the violence. While direct regime change seems an unlikely result compared to Libya, a weak Syrian government suits the US in regards to their anti-Iranian, anti-Russian stratagem, no matter the human cost among the Syrian people and the Kurds in the north.
6. Somalia - The Horn of Africa is vital strategic area for Western interests due to its proximity to the Arabian peninsula and the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden. The US military was directly involved in the Somalian Civil War in the early 90's, but largely withdrew after sustaining losses that created highly negative public opinion of our involvement. The US remained in a covert capacity, and still is today as evidenced by the recent reported death of a Navy Seal in Mogadishu. The US drone war program has risen recently in Somalia as well. The purpose being support of the fledgling Somalian government and resistance to al-Shabaab. Drone strikes have (officially) claimed dozens of civilian's lives.
7. Yemen - There is currently an outright genocide occurring in Yemen. The Saudi Arabian government is currently bombing and blockading Yemen, preventing the import of food, water, and medicine in an attempt to kill as much of the Yemeni population as possible without direct invasion. This is occurring with complete acquiescence and indirect support from our government in the form of arms sales. Hundreds of thousands have died at the hands of the Saudi's, with 50,000 children having died just last year due to bombs, starvation, and disease. The US drone program is also active in Yemen, having killed an estimated 100-200 civilians. The lack of any resistance to this from our government is due to its policy to support the Saudi royal family at all costs. Forget Israel, the Saudi royals are the most crucial ally to the US in the region. This is the greatest humanitarian crisis occurring in the world today.
8. Niger - It was recently revealed that the US has deployed covert forces in Niger, and has plans to create more drone bases to expand its UAV program. This is part of larger scale "shadow war" that has become increasingly clear in the Saharan region, with the US as the primary actor. Niger is in a centralized location, and an ideal place for military bases as per the strategy of AFRICOM. Africa continues to be a major focus for Western economic interests due to its massive reservoir of natural resources from oil, uranium, and copper among other important minerals. I have little doubt that as we learn more of the activities of AFRICOM in the Saharan region, human rights abuses and civilian deaths will be revealed.
After writing this I am reminded of something Martin Luther King Jr. said in response to US involvement in Vietnam (MLK day recently passed). "I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent."
There is much evil in the world. Many leaders and organizations are responsible for untold suffering of innocents, but none as heavily involved in the business of war than my own government. The clear connection to economic interests makes it even more disheartening, yet makes the Socialist argument very clear. I suggest the following principles:
1. All military actions of our government are unjustified in the absence of direct consent of the local populations in response to a humanitarian crisis.
2. All sales of military hardware and ordinance are immoral.
3. We must allow populations to be self-determinant. Humanitarian crises deserve our involvement, but any and all attempts to open weakened populations to foreign Capital must be resisted. The land and its natural resources belong to the local populations. Aid is acceptable in the case that no return is expected. The principles of Humanitarianism don't involve a rate of return.
4. Any politician not in agreement with these principles is unacceptable, and will get no support from me. There is no compromise to be had with Imperialism.
Sources provided upon request
-MT
-MT
