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Funny how much stuff you can build when you're not spending insane amounts of money bombing farmers in the Hindu Kush, achieving full-spectrum dominance over ev

Funny how much stuff you can build when you're not spending insane amounts of money bombing farmers in the Hindu Kush, achieving full-spectrum dominance over everyone, or catering to entrenched interests. Brown University's Costs of War project estimated that by 2021, all post-9/11 wars had cost $8T. When you factor in inflation since then, it easily exceeds $10T spent murdering farmers making $2/day in the Middle East. With nothing to show for it. That's roughly a third of America's GDP/current debt wasted on making the world a measurably worse place.

DarkNova6 1y ago
Or when all the money goes to the 1% in a bottom-up scheme.
manoDev 1y ago
China's population is 4.2x larger than the US. If they concentrate in developing their own country and creating an internal market, they'll do well. Meanwhile, US development strategy post-WW has been 100% based on projecting military [1], political [2] and economic [3] power on a global scale. So war isn't just "spending", but trading off investment on your own country vs. extracting value from somewhere else. That's how you get large defense funding but not public health care. [1] https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-every-known-u-s-military-base-overseas/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-every-known-u-s-mili... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_r... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system
Gunax 1y ago
8T isnt really that much for America, especially over 24 years. And it's not like China does not spend on defense. I would be cautious applying broad statements and simple causes. Often we take these opportunities to connect it with whatever pet issue we individually care about. That's why you can see people blaming everything from zoning policies to DEI.
- AngryData 1y ago
  It is when you look at the bottom 50% of Americans who are struggling.

DarkNova6 1y ago

Or when all the money goes to the 1% in a bottom-up scheme.

manoDev 1y ago

China's population is 4.2x larger than the US. If they concentrate in developing their own country and creating an internal market, they'll do well. Meanwhile, US development strategy post-WW has been 100% based on projecting military [1], political [2] and economic [3] power on a global scale. So war isn't just "spending", but trading off investment on your own country vs. extracting value from somewhere else. That's how you get large defense funding but not public health care. [1] https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-every-known-u-s-military-base-overseas/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-every-known-u-s-mili... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_r... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system

Gunax 1y ago

8T isnt really that much for America, especially over 24 years. And it's not like China does not spend on defense. I would be cautious applying broad statements and simple causes. Often we take these opportunities to connect it with whatever pet issue we individually care about. That's why you can see people blaming everything from zoning policies to DEI.

AngryData 1y ago
It is when you look at the bottom 50% of Americans who are struggling.