In the U.S., the strongest collective memory of America’s wars of choice is the desirability – and ease – of forgetting them. So it will be when we look at a ruined Ukraine in the rear-view mirror, writes Michael Brenner. By Michael Brenner Special to Consortium News The United States is be
  • asg101 [none/use name, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    181·
    1 year ago

    The U.S. doesn’t give a shit about winning or losing any war, as long as their owner operators keep transferring $trillions from the working class to their offshore bank accounts. Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan etc… all paid off nicely for the oligarchs.

    • PeeOnYou [he/him]
      72·
      1 year ago

      they care insomuch as it affects the ability or timing to wage the next one

        • PeeOnYou [he/him]
          22·
          1 year ago

          well it can cause a shift in war plans so they have to do different wars that they weren’t planning on, is what i meant

    • Che's Motorcycle
      1·
      1 year ago

      Of course, capitalists want to maximize profits - so long as their power isn’t threatened. And in all three of these cases, they wanted to send a message to any other countries that would dare not toe the line: “you could be next”.

      While they certainly would have preferred different outcomes in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, they may well have succeeded in “containing” communism and intimidating independent thinking - certainly Gaddafi got the message and hoped letting in western oil companies would be enough appeasement. And we know how that turned out…

      • Che's Motorcycle
        1·
        1 year ago

        So this might be what makes the Ukraine case different. The West is failing so hard to impose any difficulties on Russia that it’s sending a different message to the world - that it can be fought and defeated, and that Global South unity might not only be possible but necessary.

  • KiG V2
    7·
    1 year ago

    Theoretically, that objective could be achieved either by enticing Russia away from China (divide and subordinate) or totally neutralizing Russia as a world power by bringing down its stiff-backed leadership. The former approach never went beyond a few desultory, feeble gestures. All the chips were placed on the latter.

    Crazy how eager Russia was to just join the bad guys. It really is a show of US arrogance that they didn’t leap on that opportunity, and demand nothing short of total prostration.

    And, yes, USA is collectively unhinged. Deeply, subtly. Sometimes not so subtly.