A study conducted by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a US think-tank founded in 2019, revealed that the United States is involved, indirectly, in 34 of the 46 armed conflicts curre…
I don’t think these two things are mutually exclusive. The US can engage (sometimes successfully, from their perspective) in multiple small scale interference operations while also being incapable of fighting a large scale war successfully.
The objectives of military bloat are more capitalist class interests as well rather than outright military strength and preparedness. The expansion of bases around the world for example has been used to cement dollar hegemony, and the insane military budgets and boondoggles only serve to enrich the primary shareholders of Lockheed, Raytheon, et al.
In my understanding of superimperialism and dollar hegemony it’s not so much that American capitalists and government want to maintain it (although they do as it’s an institution of their power), but that they must maintain dollar hegemony as a matter of survival. If they don’t, the entire house of cards falls and the bulk of the USA’s $20T+ in debt comes due.
I don’t think these two things are mutually exclusive. The US can engage (sometimes successfully, from their perspective) in multiple small scale interference operations while also being incapable of fighting a large scale war successfully.
The objectives of military bloat are more capitalist class interests as well rather than outright military strength and preparedness. The expansion of bases around the world for example has been used to cement dollar hegemony, and the insane military budgets and boondoggles only serve to enrich the primary shareholders of Lockheed, Raytheon, et al.
Precisely. And how much do you think they want to maintain that hegemony?
In my understanding of superimperialism and dollar hegemony it’s not so much that American capitalists and government want to maintain it (although they do as it’s an institution of their power), but that they must maintain dollar hegemony as a matter of survival. If they don’t, the entire house of cards falls and the bulk of the USA’s $20T+ in debt comes due.
And how far do you think they’ll be willing to go to avoid it?
Since it’s a basic question of existence, no effort will be spared to secure that existence.
Ergo the “paper bully” is going to start flinging nukes