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Why should we send American kids to die in Burma? To look tough? To redeem the “western world”? What happens after? Are we really liberating Burma for its own p
by wayoutthere 5y ago
Why should we send American kids to die in Burma? To look tough? To redeem the “western world”? What happens after? Are we really liberating Burma for its own purpose, or just establishing American military bases in close proximity to China?
It’s these kinds of neo-colonialist urges that got us into the messes in Afghanistan and Iraq. We (the US in particular but also NATO as a whole) need to stop running around the world pretending we know the solution to everyone’s problems. Sometimes you have to let the local populations work it out themselves, and accept that China is a more natural ally for many countries in SE Asia.
- baybal2 5y ago> To look tough? Yes, if enemies think you are not tough, you get intimidated, humiliated, and then ultimately attacked. > To redeem the “western world”? Yes, to reverse the 20 years of disgrace, and regain the mandate of righteousness. Without righteousness, you can't do anything well as a united Western bloc — a raison d'etre for the entire post-war Western political system.
- wayoutthere 5y agoFrom my vantage point, the wars the US gets into are solely designed to grind young American lives into windfall profits for a defense industry that prioritizes contract value over mission goals. Which is why we had no definition of success in either place. There is no righteousness on the world stage, only exploitation. The US has simply put itself ahead of its allies too many times for the world to trust us anymore.