Small Wars Journal

Why Won't Anyone Admit that America is Fighting 5 Wars?

Sun, 10/23/2016 - 12:17pm

Why Won't Anyone Admit that America is Fighting 5 Wars? By Damon Linker, The Week

In an election flush with conspiracy theories, here's one that's real: Both major party nominees, as well as the journalists who cover the election and moderate the debates, are actively conspiring to avoid talking about the fact that the United States is waging war in at least five countries simultaneously: Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia.

In the first two presidential debates, our involvement in the Syrian civil war was briefly discussed, as was ISIS in vague terms, and the Iran nuclear deal, and Russia's mischief-making in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and Libya, though mostly in the past tense, focused on our 2011 intervention to depose Moammar Gadhafi and the subsequent attack on American government facilities in Benghazi a year later.

But our role in "advising" the Iraqi army "a few miles behind the front lines" as it works to take back territory from ISIS? Our "secret war" against Shabab militants in Somalia? Our support for Saudi Arabia's bloody assault on Houthi rebels in Yemen? Our air strikes pounding positions in and around the city of Sirte on the Libyan coast?

Nada. Zip. Nothing.

And everyone involved has powerful reasons to encourage this conspiracy of silence...

Read on.

Comments

Bottom Line Up Front:

As in the Old Cold War of yesterday, likewise in the New/Reverse Cold War of today, these such numerous wars and associated horrors (for example: refugee crises) -- these must be understood in terms of:

a. Various native populations' (and/or governments') natural and negative reaction to attempts by a foreign "expansionist" power (the Soviets/the communists back-in-the day; the U.S./the West today); this,

b. To transform their "outlying" states, societies and civilizations more along the alien and profane political, economic, social and value lines of the foreign "expansionist" power.

Explanation:

It has been since 1993, actually, and as initiated by the Bill Clinton administration, that the grand strategy of the U.S./the West has been to transform the entire Rest of the World more along our, very unusual and unique (and thus often alien and profane), political, economic, social and value lines.

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/lakedoc.html

Thus, it has been since 1993, at least, that the U.S./the West has, more or less, assumed the role of "world transformer;" a role that had previously been filled/held by the Soviets/the communists -- for approximately half a century -- and during the period known as the Old Cold War.

These such "world transformation" initiatives -- by the Soviets/the communists in the last half of the previous century -- and by the U.S./the West since approximately 1993 -- these, quite naturally, have led to countries being torn apart (today, and re: U.S./Western expansionist efforts now, think not only Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Somalia but also Egypt, Afghanistan and Ukraine?); this, by these powerful "expansionist" entities' efforts to:

a. Build completely new (and thus often completely alien, profane and highly unwanted) political, economic, social and value orders in states, societies and civilizations where

b. No concensus re: the adoption of these such radical -- and, thus, such completely "status quo-destroying" transformations -- had been realized.

(Herein, in both the previous Soviet/communist case, and in the current U.S./Western case also, the "winning over" of -- specifically -- the average, and naturally conservative, Jane and Joe often was not accomplished.)

It is in this context (to wit: no native concensus/no native agreement re: such radical transformations) that, I suggest, we understand (a) the wars and other horrors associated with the Soviet/the communist "expansionist" attempts in the Old Cold War of yesterday and, likewise, (b) the wars -- and other horrors -- associated with the U.S./the West "expansionist" activities today.

Thus, the fighting -- of however many -- wars (etc., etc., etc. and to include such disruptions as associated refugee crises); these to be understood -- yesterday as today -- in this exact light,

To wit: in the light of:

a. Great "expansionist-oriented" powers (the Soviets/the communists then; the U.S./the West now) attempting to radically transform the entire Rest of the World more along essentially alien and profane political, economic, social and value lines; this,

b. Minus an agreement/a consensus -- from the Rest of the World -- indicating that these such radical transformations had (a) been asked for by the subject country and its populations and, thus, (b) would be near-universally welcomed by same.

(This such understanding -- of our complicity/our responsibility for these such "transformational" wars and associated horrors -- this being the reason "Why No One Will Admit that America is Fighting 5 [+] Wars" today?)