Pull the
Plug on the
War State
By Charley
Reese
27/07/08
"Anti War"
-- --
Hopefully,
the next
president,
whoever he
is, will
have sense
enough to
realize that
an
anti-missile
site in
Eastern
Europe is
not worth
rekindling
the Cold War
with Russia.
Though the
press pays
little
attention to
it, the Bush
administration
has already
practically
wrecked
relations
with Russia
by insisting
on adding
the Eastern
European
countries to
NATO and
siting his
anti-missile
system in
the Czech
Republic and
in Poland.
The Russians
are right
that it
represents a
threat to
their
security.
President
Bush's lame
excuse that
the system
is designed
to protect
Europe from
Iranian
missiles is
no doubt
another
deliberate
lie. I can't
think of any
reason
whatsoever
for Iran to
attack
Europe, and
I'm sure the
Iranians
can't,
either. Iran
hasn't
attacked
anybody for
more than
100 years.
They would
have
absolutely
nothing to
gain by
firing a few
missiles at
Europe. It
doesn't make
any sense at
all.
Nor does it
make any
sense to add
the small
countries of
Eastern
Europe to
NATO. This
was a
war-fighting
alliance set
up at the
end of World
War II
specifically
to deter
and, if
necessary,
go to war
with the Red
Army. The
Soviet Union
set up its
own
alliance,
the Warsaw
Pact.
When the
Soviet Union
collapsed,
Russia
withdrew its
army from
Eastern
Europe and
dissolved
the Warsaw
Pact. The
United
States
should have
dissolved
NATO. Its
sole purpose
vanished
with the
Soviet
Union. It
has no
enemy,
unless fools
in the U.S.
create one.
The American
politicians
have used it
in the
Yugoslavian
Civil War,
and now has
it involved
in the
Afghanistan
insurgency.
Why the
Europeans
put up with
this
nonsense is
beyond me.
As for
including
little
countries,
that's a
strategic
blunder. Do
you think
that if the
Russians one
day launched
nuclear
missiles at
the United
States that
Poland and
Lithuania
would go to
war against
their large
neighbor?
Will France
become a
nation of
teetotalers?
In fact,
including
small
countries in
military
alliances is
worthless
posturing.
All you do
is allow the
little
country to
get you into
trouble by
its bad
behavior.
The little
country is
confident
that its big
ally will
rescue it if
it goes too
far in
antagonizing
its larger
neighbors.
It's like a
spoiled brat
with a
bodyguard.
Sixty years
after its
founding,
Israel is
still at war
with most of
its
neighbors
precisely
because it
has no
incentive to
make a
sensible
peace. Why
should it?
It has its
American
attack dog.
The only
peace
treaties it
has signed
are with
Egypt and
Jordan, both
of which the
U.S. bribed
to make
peace. Bribe
or not, in
both cases
it's a cold
peace.
Believe it
or not, we
are not at
war with any
nation at
the present.
We made war
on Iraq, but
that has
long since
become
nothing but
an
occupation.
We are
occupying or
trying to
occupy
Afghanistan,
but other
than that,
we are not
at war. Why
then do we
need
military
alliances?
Why do we
need troops
in Korea,
Japan and
Germany? Or,
I hasten to
add, Iraq
and the
Persian
Gulf?
President
Bush's war
on terror is
a false
metaphor,
and a
dangerous
one at that.
There is no
terrorist
army or air
force. There
are some
gangs of
criminals.
What the
president
did when he
adopted this
specious
metaphor
about a war
on terror
was to
commit the
United
States to
perpetual
war. Ask
your local
warmonger
how he
defines
victory in
the war on
terror. Ask
why when
Iraq was
very violent
we couldn't
leave, and
now that
it's less
violent, we
can't leave.
Ask him how
he defines
victory in
Iraq or in
Afghanistan.
We really
have neither
a republic
nor a
democracy.
We have a
war state
and an
empire. We
should pull
the plug on
both.
Charley
Reese has
been a
journalist
for 49
years,
reporting on
everything
from sports
to politics.
From
1969-71, he
worked as a
campaign
staffer for
gubernatorial,
senatorial
and
congressional
races in
several
states. He
was an
editor,
assistant to
the
publisher,
and
columnist
for the
Orlando
Sentinel
from 1971 to
2001. He now
writes a
syndicated
column three
times a week
for King
Features,
which is
carried on
Antiwar.com.
Reese served
two years
active duty
in the U.S.
Army as a
tank gunner.
