SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Cashing In on the ISIS Crisis
No matter how pointless these wars prove, America’s military-industrial complex makes a killing.
Nov 19, 2014
Maybe you think the U.S. air war on the Islamic State is a fine plan. Maybe you don't. Either way, have you considered how little Washington's latest military foray in the Middle East has to do with America's welfare?
In case you haven't heard, shock and awe are out in what's increasingly being called either Iraq War 3.0 or -- more ominously -- Iraq War III. "Persistent and sustainable" are in, according to General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Why can't our leaders leave bad enough alone and get out of there? One possible explanation is that this apparently eternal battle has more to do with profits than protection.
No matter how pointless these wars prove, America's military-industrial complex makes a killing.
There's always a profit to be skimmed by the makers of cruise missiles and builders of submarines. They stay in the black even when humanity suffers.
But wait. Doesn't the United States lose when these wars inevitably shore up anti-American hatred?
Worrying about that kind of thing isn't really a job for military contractors. Just like the oil, gas, and coal industries, their goal is to grab what they can while the grabbing is good
America's hired guns and military contractors took a big hit after the last Iraq War wound down. But thanks to the eruption of "the ISIS crisis," the dogs of war in Congress are howling again.
At the moment, they're yelping at President Barack Obama and telling him to stop ruling out more "boots on the ground." Obama has already called for doubling current troop levels in Iraq and asked Congress for permission to spend $5.6 billion more than anticipated on the conflict.
Perhaps the most galling military development so far is the Pentagon's mobilization of depleted uranium weapons. These weapons are already suspected of causing widespread birth defects in Iraq from prior military campaigns, and there is a debate underway right now in the United Nations to ban them.
Whistleblower Peter Van Buren recently asked a good question about all of this: "What could go possibly go right?"
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
William Collins
OtherWords columnist William A. Collins is a former state representative and a former mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut.
Emily Schwartz Greco
Emily Schwartz Greco is the Philanthropy + Nonprofits Editor for The Conversation. Previously, Emily was the managing editor of the OtherWords editorial service. She covered Latin America for the Bloomberg and Dow Jones news services.
Maybe you think the U.S. air war on the Islamic State is a fine plan. Maybe you don't. Either way, have you considered how little Washington's latest military foray in the Middle East has to do with America's welfare?
In case you haven't heard, shock and awe are out in what's increasingly being called either Iraq War 3.0 or -- more ominously -- Iraq War III. "Persistent and sustainable" are in, according to General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Why can't our leaders leave bad enough alone and get out of there? One possible explanation is that this apparently eternal battle has more to do with profits than protection.
No matter how pointless these wars prove, America's military-industrial complex makes a killing.
There's always a profit to be skimmed by the makers of cruise missiles and builders of submarines. They stay in the black even when humanity suffers.
But wait. Doesn't the United States lose when these wars inevitably shore up anti-American hatred?
Worrying about that kind of thing isn't really a job for military contractors. Just like the oil, gas, and coal industries, their goal is to grab what they can while the grabbing is good
America's hired guns and military contractors took a big hit after the last Iraq War wound down. But thanks to the eruption of "the ISIS crisis," the dogs of war in Congress are howling again.
At the moment, they're yelping at President Barack Obama and telling him to stop ruling out more "boots on the ground." Obama has already called for doubling current troop levels in Iraq and asked Congress for permission to spend $5.6 billion more than anticipated on the conflict.
Perhaps the most galling military development so far is the Pentagon's mobilization of depleted uranium weapons. These weapons are already suspected of causing widespread birth defects in Iraq from prior military campaigns, and there is a debate underway right now in the United Nations to ban them.
Whistleblower Peter Van Buren recently asked a good question about all of this: "What could go possibly go right?"
William Collins
OtherWords columnist William A. Collins is a former state representative and a former mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut.
Emily Schwartz Greco
Emily Schwartz Greco is the Philanthropy + Nonprofits Editor for The Conversation. Previously, Emily was the managing editor of the OtherWords editorial service. She covered Latin America for the Bloomberg and Dow Jones news services.
Maybe you think the U.S. air war on the Islamic State is a fine plan. Maybe you don't. Either way, have you considered how little Washington's latest military foray in the Middle East has to do with America's welfare?
In case you haven't heard, shock and awe are out in what's increasingly being called either Iraq War 3.0 or -- more ominously -- Iraq War III. "Persistent and sustainable" are in, according to General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Why can't our leaders leave bad enough alone and get out of there? One possible explanation is that this apparently eternal battle has more to do with profits than protection.
No matter how pointless these wars prove, America's military-industrial complex makes a killing.
There's always a profit to be skimmed by the makers of cruise missiles and builders of submarines. They stay in the black even when humanity suffers.
But wait. Doesn't the United States lose when these wars inevitably shore up anti-American hatred?
Worrying about that kind of thing isn't really a job for military contractors. Just like the oil, gas, and coal industries, their goal is to grab what they can while the grabbing is good
America's hired guns and military contractors took a big hit after the last Iraq War wound down. But thanks to the eruption of "the ISIS crisis," the dogs of war in Congress are howling again.
At the moment, they're yelping at President Barack Obama and telling him to stop ruling out more "boots on the ground." Obama has already called for doubling current troop levels in Iraq and asked Congress for permission to spend $5.6 billion more than anticipated on the conflict.
Perhaps the most galling military development so far is the Pentagon's mobilization of depleted uranium weapons. These weapons are already suspected of causing widespread birth defects in Iraq from prior military campaigns, and there is a debate underway right now in the United Nations to ban them.
Whistleblower Peter Van Buren recently asked a good question about all of this: "What could go possibly go right?"
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.