Since the turn of the century, our society has prosecuted a long war across a number of countries. The public are aware of some elements of the war; other elements remain secret and concealed from view.
Air strikes, drone strikes, missile strikes, night raids, torture sites, internment camps, terrorist attacks, chemical attacks, sieges, invasions, and occupations are the tactics of this war.
If the aim of this war is to defeat terrorism, then it is an ongoing and spectacular failure, as the following graph illustrates.
If the aim of this war is to increase the status, power and wealth of individuals and institutions loyal to the War System, then it is an ongoing success story, and business as usual for our society.
The politicians get a place in history. The generals are promoted. The soldiers get medals. The arms dealers get sales. The bankers get profits. The corporations get access to resources and markets. The newspaper editors tell the story and the militarist on the street basks in the reflected glory of it all.
The death and destruction are external costs.
During this long war, opposing political factions have held power, each one has contributed to the perpetuation and expansion of the war, none have made a genuine effort to end the war. This “War on Terror” is just business as usual for a country dominated by the War System.
The mouthpieces of the War System muddy the waters:
• They vilify regimes for human rights abuses whilst feting others as important allies.
• They call for military action as the one-size-fits all solution to the complex problems we face in the 21st century.
• They respond to some attacks with screams of outrage whilst ignoring other attacks that would undermine claims to be better and more humane than others.
It does not have to be like this.
The War System relies on the daily participation of thousands and thousands of individuals to function. We can end this madness by refusing to participate at every level. It is time for us to abandon the War System.
END THE WAR ON TERROR,
ABANDON THE WAR SYSTEM!
One Response
Amen.