The Logistical Inertia of American Militarism Means that Our Foreign Meddling Will Not Go away

© 2015 Peter Free

 

01 February 2015

 

 

The United States’ skill at military logistics means that no one in power is willingly going to give it up

 

Here in Europe, I am frequently impressed by the ease with which the United States easily supports its established overseas footprints.

 

Those of us connected with the military recognize that we have access not only to (a) the tools necessary to carrying out the military mission, but to (b) the mini-societies that America creates around them. Established bases and posts have almost everything that one of us one might need, including groceries, hard and soft goods, medical care, and the bureaucratic interface necessary to acceptably integrate our troops into local cultures.

 

When one thinks about the operational size, cost, and admirable expertise that is necessary to pull this off — at hundreds of locations around the world — the United States Empire dwarfs its Roman predecessor.

 

 

Optimistically asking American authorities to relinquish these abilities is arguably a fool’s dream

 

Who in their right mind would voluntarily give up the abilities — and the daily practice — that go along with maintaining such an economically and functionally impressive network of power extension?

 

 

The moral? — American imperialism is going to fade, only when it is stopped by a decline in our wealth or by an outside force

 

The inertia of our militarism’s established logistical capacity is a hidden stumbling block against making sensible reforms in American foreign policy. Giving this capacity up, on our own volition, would require an astonishing amount of self-control, far sightedness, and courage. National populations are not noted for these qualities.

 

Our leaders like to stoke fear, so that even the rationally minded will err on the side of leaving foundations of power projection in place.

 

It is not just the Military Industrial Complex’s greed that is a problem. It is also the widely shared fear that sustains it, as well as the self-affirming virility that our geographic reach expresses. All baser impulses raised high.

 

Militarism is a manifestation of the aphorism that power corrupts. Once on a super power’s aspirational treadmill, it is probably impossible to get off. This is a positive feedback system that eventually escapes even a semblance of control. Common sense, democracy, and liberty all die.