OLIVER: US' reliance on war trades peace for profit
Column: Curiosity Corner
It is a long-standing assumption across American society that war, though tragic, is a catalyst for economic strength and patriotic vitality. This widely held belief not only serves to romanticize the impact of war but also transforms the harsh realities of conflict into a solution for the state of current political and economic upheavals.
The illusory link between wartime and national unity proves to be nothing more than fetishized nostalgia when placed under close examination. Behind the seemingly positive outcomes of war on American society, harsh realities lie in wait.
Although it is true that there was economic progress brought about by World War II, the initial entry into the war by the U.S. was not motivated purely by the desire to deliver the free world from the evil clutches of Naziism, but rather by the need for retribution and revenge for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The mythologized civic harmony and patriotism brought about by the Cold War overlooks the damages caused by racial segregation and the Red Scare. Events as recent as the tragedy of 9/11 demonstrate that domestic unity does not withstand the trials of disastrous wars such as those in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Yet more than $30 trillion of debt has been accumulated by the U.S., and the U.S. military and its control over American society have contributed to this. It is taken as an unquestionable fact that the U.S. military superiority would gain victory in any armed conflict.
The military-industrial complex only serves to exacerbate this issue. The arms industry, defense contractors and government agencies cooperate with one another in order to produce and maintain military equipment and technology.
This complex has created a powerful lobby that often pushes for increased defense spending and military intervention in conflicts around the world. The emphasis on the use of force in the U.S. has been especially true in the post-9/11 era, in which the government has engaged in several wars and military interventions.
Conflict has been seen as a driver of our capitalist economy, particularly in the arms industry. But the reliance on defense spending as the backbone of the American economy creates a vicious and inescapable cycle.
Approximately one-half of the $14 trillion that the Pentagon has used since 9/11 was provided to for-profit defense contractors, according to the Seattle Times. Rather than helping the war effort, though, these funds were partly responsible for the failure of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Warlords and the Taliban itself supposedly received protection money from private defense contractors.
In addition, the mad scramble for resources like oil or precious minerals has been a driving force behind armed opposition in many areas of the world. The desire for economic growth and dominance is based upon the capitalist nature of American society and its reliance on war.
U.S. dependence upon military power to achieve its foreign goals can be seen even more recently. The combative tendencies of leaders in the U.S. endanger its citizens with the constant threat of war. The tensions caused by the spy balloon released by China face continued escalation, and the Ukrainian war persists through another year ad infinitum.
Although there are times when war is necessary to protect our national and global interests and those of our allies, we should not be too quick to use it as a primary and automatic course of action. Diplomacy and peaceful solutions to international crises are far greater gateways to unity on both the domestic and foreign fronts.
During times like these, it is possible that some may look toward past violence and armed conflict as the answer to our problems. But the misconception that war is a remedy for the polarization of modern democracy and a torpid economy is both dangerous and perverted.
Jamie Oliver is a first-year in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in english and linguistics. Her column, "Curiosity Corner," runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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