Military parents and all Americans feeling the horror and adverse effects of a decade of war in Iraq, finally breathe a sigh of relief when all servicemen and women ended their service in Iraq to begin a new chapter here in America. Those who returned home uninjured and safe thanked their stars and for those who lost their lives and the injured, they will forever be remembered as heroes who sacrificed everything to answer the call of duty.
As we rejoice for the end of the war in Iraq and barely two months after the last American troops left the country, the leadership in Washington has started the plan to draw America into another war in Iran. With unemployment as it is and the country’s debt, should the United States consider sacrificing its troops and resources for another war?
The purpose is to show why America as a world leader and a superpower, may be moving towards economic suicide if the leadership in Washington continues to maintain the same policies that adds billions of dollars every year to American defense spending, costing the nation both human and financial resources. There is no doubt the United States, spends more than any other country in the world on its military and defense; it is also true that, billions of dollars of American money is spent to maintain military bases outside the U.S. border.
There will always be tyrants in the world and there is no ending to the rule by dictators. The likes of Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jon II, Ben Ali and Mubarak will always be among us; and from what we are witnessing today in Syria, Yemen, and Senegal it is clear there will always be leaders like Gaddafi who want to stay in power forever even at the cost of lives and their nation’s resources; but should the United States continue to expend its resources around the world while its economy is in shambles? Or can the U.S. bring an end to every dictatorial rule?
Those familiar with the U.S. military will testify that the U.S. unlike any other country has military bases all over the world. There are U.S. bases in Japan, Italy, Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Turkey, Germany, Spain, the continent of Africa, Kuwait, Bulgaria and more established in the name of protecting American interests and national defense. The question is why waste American resources abroad defending foreign nations rather than protect the homeland with the extra resources.
To think that this means America should not help other nations, would be a misconception; the point here is that the United States is spending too much to meddle in global business while its economy continues to lag behind. For example, why have military bases in a country like Germany? There is not one or two but many all over the country costing the U.S taxpayers hundreds of millions yearly. Just like in Germany, there are other nations with not just one military base but two or more owned by the U.S.
Those who believe in the policies have argued that the purpose of a U.S. military presence in Germany, is to serve as deterrence to Russia. The fact is that such argument is baseless; Russia will always do whatever it wants in the region, those in doubt should refer back to when Russia invaded Georgia over the issue of Abkhazia, despite the military bases nearby in Germany, the U.S. stood by as Russia took away Abkhazia from Georgia and handed it back to its people. Till this day, Russia has maintained its presence in Abkhazia against the wish of American ally Georgia. Also, the purpose of the military base, is not to protect Poland against a Russian threat since Poland as a member of the EU, has the protection of other European Union members.
Call a spade a spade, the United State is currently wasting its economic resources worldwide while many here in America are experiencing economic hardship. May be the purpose is to maintain American pride or its position as a global power, the fact is the power of a nation, does not depend only on its military might but also its economic power and success. The U.S. economy of the 1990s was better than what it is today; China’s economy is better off in 2012 compared to the U.S and India has seen its economy grow in the past ten years.
China continues to make billions of dollars in deals with African nations and around the world while the U.S. continues to fight wars; China is taking advantage of the current situation making oil deals with Iran and Russia while the U.S. is weighing the possibility of war with Iran. The question is what is the purpose of the United Nations? Why can’t the U.S. allow the organization to take care of the Iranian imbroglio; intelligence has revealed Iran is not making a nuclear weapon so, should the U.S. be involved in another war that may cause both human and economic loses?
Obviously, there is no vital threat from Iran; the nation does not have the bomb to threaten America. The unfortunate outcome of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has taught rogue states that America is not a country to mess with so, what is the buzz over Iran? And does anyone believe Iran is a threat to U.S. interests anywhere in the world? May be it is time to allow nations to take care of their own affairs; after all, the UN is there to help. If the people of Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya can end dictatorial rule in their nations, others can do the same; and when they can’t, the UN and NATO should act to protect innocent lives.
The United States should build its defense system here at home rather than waste resources worldwide; Washington need invest in policies that will revive the economy and bring jobs back to America rather than policies that will take money away through unnecessary wars and external defense spendings that are unproductive. Unless there is a dramatic change, the current policies are a recipe for economic suicide.
Dr. Adeyemi Oshunrinade is an expert in general law, foreign relations, and the United Nation; He is the author of ‘Murder of Diplomacy’ (2010) and ‘Wills Law and Contests’ (2011) follow on Twitter @san0670
Categories: U.S. Economy and Policies
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