by B. R. GOWANI
till today, i.e., May 20, 2022 (CE), the US is the most powerful country
one has to clarify — militarily — it has 750 bases in about 80 countries
(the numbers DOD site now shows are: 4,800 sites in over 160 countries
which was updated after Tom Dispatch inquired about the real numbers)
The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft report points out:
“During World War II and the early days of the Cold War, the United States built an unprecedented system of military bases in foreign lands. Three decades after the Cold War’s end, there are still 119 base sites in Germany and another 119 in Japan, according to the Pentagon. In South Korea there are 73. Other U.S. bases dot the planet from Aruba to Australia, Kenya to Qatar, Romania to Singapore, and beyond.”
the yearly cost of maintaining all the bases comes to about $55 billion
the burden of that huge amount is shouldered by the US taxpayers
since 2000, they have also borne the cost of infrastructure of those bases
which comes to between between $70 billion and over $100 billion)
more than half, i.e., 13, of the world’s 25 largest arms makers are in the US
as far as morality & humanity is concerned, the US is the worst
the US abhors peace, it also always frustrates or delays peace efforts
it loves wars, it provides arms & ammunition to the country it backs
the new US war (they call it “defense”) budget is $782 billion
6% more than last year; 30% more than the White House had demanded
at present the United States is fighting a proxy war in Ukraine
(the US is responsible for the Russian invasion of Ukraine)
the capitalist/establishment news media is openly talking about it
it’s kind of a Black Friday for the merchants of death selling weapons
US has provided $13.6 billion to Ukraine; another $40 billion is approved
half of it will go to military aid — that is, US weapons manufacturers
more than $53 billion going to Ukraine for what?
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made it very clear:
“We want to see Russia weakened to the degree it cannot do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.”
$53.6 billion could have gone to help so many deserving people in the US
the US is already provoking China into a war on Taiwan issue
it’s selling arms worth hundreds of millions to Taiwan
the beneficiaries of war are always the merchants of death
singer Gil Scott-Heron once recited/sang:
“The only thing wrong with Peace,
Is that you can’t make no money from it.”
US, the most powerful country, could easily stop the Russian war
but you don’t hear about peace from US leaders or the US news media
the peace is just not in the US gene
every atom of the United States is filled with war and venom
for the US hate & greed, billions of people suffer & pay price
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com