Anyone hoping that the United States will be a force for peace is hoping in vain. We are not a force for peace; we are not wired for that. The United States exists for war. This is what President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us about in his farewell address in 1961, when he spoke of the rise of the military-industrial complex working in concert with Congress to undermine American democracy.
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It succeeded. America's democracy today is literally a shadow of what it could and should be. It doesn’t matter that we can all go out and vote on November 5th. Just look at who we are voting for. If you believe that having Kamala Harris representing the Democratic Party and Donald Trump representing the Republican Party indicates a politically healthy America, you are mistaken. What it shows is that America is among the most unhealthy nations in the world regarding democracy and politics.
We are deeply diseased. We have an establishment that thrives on global confrontation. Our entire means of interfacing with the world—economically, diplomatically, and otherwise—is through violence. Look at how we propose to solve the Israeli-Gaza conflict: by providing billions of dollars in military assistance to Israel. We seem to have no other option. Even when we attempt to pressure Israel by stopping arms sales, it feels as though weapons are our sole contribution because it is all we know how to do. Consider Ukraine; that’s all we have.
In contrast, look at how China engages with the world through the Belt and Road Initiative, a $10 trillion infrastructure development program that has allowed China to win over the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of nations while we seek to destroy everything. The primary American representative globally these days is the regional combat commander in the Middle East. If you're the ambassador of a major Middle Eastern country, your effectiveness hinges on the presence of the military representatives, because they are the ones calling the shots. The same is true in Europe and Asia; military influence is paramount.
The military is not meant to be a diplomatic agency, yet it has become the most important diplomatic agency of the United States. This reality tells us that our reason for existence is not peace; it is war. Electing a new president will not change this dynamic. Donald Trump may superficially speak the language of peace, but he is an instrument of war and power. He implies that he can project American economic power without backing it up with military force. Even when he talks about peace, it’s always underpinned by threats. For example, when he threatens Putin, claiming he’ll make those domes disappear, what does that really mean? It implies violence; that’s all we know how to do.
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This pattern persists across the political spectrum. The Democrats resort to economic violence, military violence, and political violence, just as the Republicans do. The CIA exists to undermine foreign governments, as we’ve just seen again in Georgia. The Georgian people, who held a fair and free election, find that the United States refuses to accept their democratic outcome because it was not the one we wanted. Consequently, we intervene, trying to instigate a Maidan-like revolution in Tbilisi, just as we did in Kiev.
I wrote an article titled "The American Midas Touch." In ancient Greek mythology, King Midas is known for turning everything he touches into gold, but it also meant that everything he touched ultimately died. This is the American Midas Touch: we seek to turn everything to our benefit, but in doing so, we often bring about destruction. At the end of the day, we touch others and they die because we know only how to kill for our advantage. None of the candidates represent a force for peace, and America will never be a force for peace as we are currently configured.
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» Electing a new president will not change this dynamic. «
It succeeded. America's democracy today is literally a shadow of what it could and should be. It doesn’t matter that we can all go out and vote on November 5th. Just look at who we are voting for. If you believe that having Kamala Harris representing the Democratic Party and Donald Trump representing the Republican Party indicates a politically healthy America, you are mistaken. What it shows is that America is among the most unhealthy nations in the world regarding democracy and politics.
We are deeply diseased. We have an establishment that thrives on global confrontation. Our entire means of interfacing with the world—economically, diplomatically, and otherwise—is through violence. Look at how we propose to solve the Israeli-Gaza conflict: by providing billions of dollars in military assistance to Israel. We seem to have no other option. Even when we attempt to pressure Israel by stopping arms sales, it feels as though weapons are our sole contribution because it is all we know how to do. Consider Ukraine; that’s all we have.
» Our entire means of interfacing with the world is through violence. «
In contrast, look at how China engages with the world through the Belt and Road Initiative, a $10 trillion infrastructure development program that has allowed China to win over the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of nations while we seek to destroy everything. The primary American representative globally these days is the regional combat commander in the Middle East. If you're the ambassador of a major Middle Eastern country, your effectiveness hinges on the presence of the military representatives, because they are the ones calling the shots. The same is true in Europe and Asia; military influence is paramount.
The military is not meant to be a diplomatic agency, yet it has become the most important diplomatic agency of the United States. This reality tells us that our reason for existence is not peace; it is war. Electing a new president will not change this dynamic. Donald Trump may superficially speak the language of peace, but he is an instrument of war and power. He implies that he can project American economic power without backing it up with military force. Even when he talks about peace, it’s always underpinned by threats. For example, when he threatens Putin, claiming he’ll make those domes disappear, what does that really mean? It implies violence; that’s all we know how to do.
.png)
This pattern persists across the political spectrum. The Democrats resort to economic violence, military violence, and political violence, just as the Republicans do. The CIA exists to undermine foreign governments, as we’ve just seen again in Georgia. The Georgian people, who held a fair and free election, find that the United States refuses to accept their democratic outcome because it was not the one we wanted. Consequently, we intervene, trying to instigate a Maidan-like revolution in Tbilisi, just as we did in Kiev.
» Now that Ukraine has failed, the US is preparing continental Europe for direct conflict with Russia. «
Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, November 3, 2024.
Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, November 3, 2024.
I wrote an article titled "The American Midas Touch." In ancient Greek mythology, King Midas is known for turning everything he touches into gold, but it also meant that everything he touched ultimately died. This is the American Midas Touch: we seek to turn everything to our benefit, but in doing so, we often bring about destruction. At the end of the day, we touch others and they die because we know only how to kill for our advantage. None of the candidates represent a force for peace, and America will never be a force for peace as we are currently configured.
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