Militarism's Transmission Belt - by Werther
In a previous article, we analyzed the function of supposedly nonpartisan think tanks as propaganda mills for government policies, particularly those that aggrandize the warmaking state. It is worth elaborating with a fresh example.
In the Aug. 16, 2007, edition of the New York Times, Anthony Cordesman of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) tells us why it is a terrific idea for the United States to variously sell and give away more than $50 billion in weaponry to several Middle Eastern states.[1]
His argument boils down to this: the Middle East is a rough neighborhood, and the only way to buy influence is with authentic coin of the realm in the form of arms. If we don't, others, like the Rugged Russian Bear, the Heathen Chinee, or even the effete Europeans, would be more than happy to peddle their wares.
There is some merit in his argument – unlike President Bush and his neoconservative ventriloquists, Mr. Cordesman is at least grown up enough to dispense with the childish nonsense that the United States government is attempting to spread democracy in the region as a philanthropic exercise. What we are engaging in, according to Mr. Cordesman, is a realist's game of power-balancing.
In a previous article, we analyzed the function of supposedly nonpartisan think tanks as propaganda mills for government policies, particularly those that aggrandize the warmaking state. It is worth elaborating with a fresh example.
In the Aug. 16, 2007, edition of the New York Times, Anthony Cordesman of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) tells us why it is a terrific idea for the United States to variously sell and give away more than $50 billion in weaponry to several Middle Eastern states.[1]
His argument boils down to this: the Middle East is a rough neighborhood, and the only way to buy influence is with authentic coin of the realm in the form of arms. If we don't, others, like the Rugged Russian Bear, the Heathen Chinee, or even the effete Europeans, would be more than happy to peddle their wares.
There is some merit in his argument – unlike President Bush and his neoconservative ventriloquists, Mr. Cordesman is at least grown up enough to dispense with the childish nonsense that the United States government is attempting to spread democracy in the region as a philanthropic exercise. What we are engaging in, according to Mr. Cordesman, is a realist's game of power-balancing.
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