The US needs war & conflict to keep it's economy going

[Slytovhand]

Hey gang.

This was just raised by my work colleague in relation to the book "Looking for Osama" (or whatever...).

The supposition is that the US needs to keep itself involved in wars/conflict throughout the world in order to keep it's economy going - seeing the amount of money that has been spent on the Cold War, and then the Gulf Wars, etc etc.

Without that military expenditure and involvement in the world, things would look worse for the US.

Also, it give the politicians the chance to wave the flag - the benefit of that being that while things may be going down the drain in some parts of the US, the politicians can still tell the world that they are doing it (involving itself in the conflicts) because the US is so great that everyone wants it, or that they must give everyone the freedoms and privileges that only the US has (ie - the usual rhetoric).

Thoughts anyone???

Slyt

[Boozy]

I would say it's less supposition than fact. Eisenhower was the first to recognize the problem and give it the name "military-industrial complex". And it's really only become more firmly entrenched during the past 50 years.

The situation is becoming increasingly untenable as warfare becomes more oil dependent. However well American military and weapons industries are doing, they are no longer exporting enough to close the trade gap caused by oil imports.

The whole system was much more profitable, if perhaps morally repugnant, in the 80's and 90's when these industries were providing weaponry for warlords and dictators waging wars the US was not involved in.

[BlaqueKatt]

The whole system was much more profitable, if perhaps morally repugnant, in the 80's and 90's when these industries were providing weaponry for warlords and dictators waging wars the US was not involved in.

and for more on that I highly reccommend the movie Lord of war-Yuri Orlov is largely based on the exploits of international arms dealer Viktor Bout, a former Soviet officer, who was finally arrested by Thai authorities in March 2008. Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death," was trying to ship arms to American agents in Colombia who were posing as Farc insurgents when he was apprehended. Currently languishing in a Bangkok prison where he awaits extradition by the US.