Cordel One wrote:Devotion to the United States military is perhaps one of the main characteristics of American nationalism. Many things have contributed to this such as the Civil War, the Monroe Doctrine, World War 2, and the Cold War. At the same time, the involvement of the United States in many unpopular wars (Vietnam) and human rights abuses (Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay) has led many to view this institution in a negative light. This brings me to the subject of this thread: the modern United States military. Beyond the question in the title, is American interventionism in the Middle East justified? Should we continue on this path? Remember, this is a touchy subject so please do your best to remain civil.
I tried really hard to write the above paragraph with as little of my anti-military bias leaking through. Click below to see how I really feel.
It depends. The US Military is a fairly well oiled machine, that's often misused by Neocon and Neolib lobbyists. Let's look at four major US interventions after WWII:
Korean War - Justified, North Korea invaded South Korea, and the US helped repel the attack, but then the US went too far by going after North Korea proper
Vietnam War - Unjustified, the US invaded a sovereign country because the US leadership thought that Might makes Right
Afghanistan War - Justified, (at least until 2003) the US invaded a troubled country because they failed to turn over a terrorist; furthermore, if the US succeeded in rebuilding Afghanistan, which was possible if Iraq wasn't invaded, and that would've been a major boon to Human Rights in the Middle East
Iraq War - Unjustified, the US invaded a sovereign country because the US leadership thought that Might makes Right
It's not the military that the issue, it's how the military's used, or rather, misused.
-Ra- wrote:Always. Someone's got to be the global police. The US Military is mostly a force for good, and I hope to see its continued hegemony lest China or Russia rise in its stead.
Ah, yes, something the British used to justify plundering ships and gang pressing sailors, didn't the US fight against this bullshit? Also:
Take up the White Man's burden—
Send forth the best ye breed—
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild—
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.
Take up the White Man's burden—
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain.
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.
Take up the White Man's burden—
The savage wars of peace—
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch Sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to nought.
Take up the White Man's burden—
No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper—
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go make them with your living,
And mark them with your dead!
Take up the White Man's burden—
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard—
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:—
"Why brought ye us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"
Take up the White Man's burden—
Ye dare not stoop to less—
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your Gods and you.
Take up the White Man's burden—
Have done with childish days—
The lightly proffered laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold-edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers!
EDIT: I wrongly attributed the above poem, as Kubra points out:
Kubra wrote:Shof, you've made quite a mistake regarding the Kipling bit. It wasn't a hymn to the british empire, but the nascent american one.
That uh, that only makes the whole thing worse, though.
We all make mistakes. Anyways, at least that was quality propaganda. Modern Neocon/Neolib version is based on this:
Russia, Russia, Russia!
China, China, China!