― W.E.B. Du Bois
I read a good article about U.S. imperialism putting in perspective the intractable nature of it at this time. The author provides a good summary of its history from the "internal" Manifest Destiny imperialism involving wiping out the savage Indians, forcing the few that remained onto reservations basically ending with the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890. Then attention was fully turned to external imperialism starting in Cuba and the Phillipines.
"Then, something utterly dreadful happened in 1917—a successful social revolution in Russia, the second major after the French in 1789, to try to redistribute the wealth of the few to the advantage of the many. The rulers of the world—US, Britain, France and sundry acolytes—put aside their differences and united to stem the awful threat of popular democracy rising and spreading. They invaded Russia, fomented a civil war, funding and arming the counter-revolutionary forces, failed, and tried again in 1939. But Hitler’s war of extermination on the USSR ended in a spectacular victory for Moscow."
After WWII there was the Cold War against communism and the Soviet Union starting with the insanely cruel Korean war, then the Vietnam war and finally the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The next stage of U.S. imperialism was aimed at insuring and solidifying the U.S. as the sole superpower on the planet. Democratic President Bill Clinton started out with the obviously misleading "Humanitarian" war doctrine leading to inhumane sanctions against Iraq killing 500,000 innocent children, absolutely astounding and something that should be included in the annals of history's most evil crimes. Then the illegal Kosovo war, by the way, voted for by Bernie Sanders, which was secured by its "Mafia" strong-armed influence over the United Nations.
The Project for a New American Century (PNAC) plan, along with their false flag attack on New York City and the Pentagon on 9/11 ushered in the hyper imperialism stage we're still experiencing fifteen years later. Democratic and Republican Presidents and administrations have been equal partners and there is a solid "Washington Consensus" behind the neocon plan to insure the U.S. remains the one "indispensable" nation on earth.
So in reality what we have is a long term institution of imperialism in this country that has reached an end game stage at the beginning of the 21st century. It is part of the "soul" of this country since it's inception and the current stage is an intractable as it can get. The military industrial complex and now the incredible homeland security and spying complexes combined with an emerging fascist police state are ingrained deeply into all aspects of American life and sheepishly accepted by the masses of serfs brainwashed to the hilt since early childhood.
The author of the article had this to say at the end:
"In this scenario, no potential presidential candidate—even establishment-party dissenter—who does not call for both the end of the bi-partisan “Washington Consensus” and the end of bipartisan militarist aggression can reverse the totality of the “international wrong” or stem the domestic descent into social brutalization. If none calls this foreign policy debacle “imperialism,” elections will be a sleepwalker’s exercise. Nothing will change. Except, almost certainly, for the worse."
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/05/13/the-great-leap-backward-americas-illegal-wars-on-the-world/
None of the Presidential contenders will say the word imperialism. They all maintain we should have the largest, most powerful military on earth. None can challenge the long history of U.S. imperialism or the Washington Consensus for global hegemony. None will challenge the power of the deep state and the alphabet agencies that do their deeds, the CIA, NSA, NGOs, institutions, and foundations. It just won't happen within our political system. I could say we need to take to the streets to demand its end but its going to take much more than that. The history of U.S. imperialism is long and cruel and won't die easily.
It sure won't happen if much of the progressive left continues to pay it lip service without actually saying the damn word. Take the so far signature event for the left for 2016, the "People's Summit". Go to the website and here's what they're fighting for (besides the Democratic party):
"The Summit itself will include plenary and workshop sessions devoted to key issues such as the Fight for 15, mass incarceration and criminal justice reform, voting rights and expanding democratic participation, a tax on Wall Street speculation to fund human needs and jobs, climate justice toward a sustainable economy, improved Medicare for All, the fight for free and debt-free higher education, secure retirement through expanding social security, ending HIV/AIDS, achieving Constitutional pay equity for women, and ending deportations and support for DREAMers, among others."
http://www.thepeoplessummit.org/#about
Not a single word about imperialism, not even any props about stopping war or militarism. What the fuck. I don't get it. It's not even about Bernie Sanders so the excuse that Sanders can't say the fucking word because then he couldn't become President doesn't even apply. And they still can't say the damn word. Americans have long accepted U.S. imperialism because its contributed to their American way of life, the vaunted American dream built on the murder of people in other countries and the taking of their wealth. The W.E.B. Dubois quote above shows that. Here we are again with the People's Summit seeking higher wages and better health care as their share of the imperialist bounty.
The incongruity is that without ending U.S. imperialism and the accompanying one trillion dollar per year pricetag, there will never be any of that the people behind the Summit are seeking. And then there's the killing and the ruining of millions of people's lives. It's estimated U.S. imperialism has been responsible for the deaths of 30 million people since the end of WWII. Apparently the number is too large to make an impact. Maybe if U.S. imperialism was responsible for the deaths of twenty daycare children in Kansas people would pay attention.
The United States of Empire if currently fucking with South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Russia, China and even Europe. The Obama administration has advanced the imperialist stage started by the neocons and there's plenty more to be done. Many believe we're closer to WWIII then at anytime since the early 60's of the Cold War. Certainly the chaos and misery being spread for the filthy rich bastards benefiting most from U.S. imperialism is astounding and increasing and flat out evil. These are criminals of the highest order. Think of Tony Blair, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Henry Kissinger, John Kerry, all scumbags that should be in orange jumpsuits in prison.
There must be a push to end U.S. imperialism. Everything else depends on it.
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