Sunday, June 27, 2010
Andrew Bacevich on endless war and arrogance
The first leading to the growth of the second in the military.
Long wars are antithetical to democracy. Protracted conflict introduces toxins that inexorably corrode the values of popular government. Not least among those values is a code of military conduct that honors the principle of civilian control while keeping the officer corps free from the taint of politics. Events of the past week -- notably the Rolling Stone profile that led to Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's dismissal -- hint at the toll that nearly a decade of continuous conflict has exacted on the U.S. armed forces. The fate of any one general qualifies as small beer: Wearing four stars does not signify indispensability. But indications that the military's professional ethic is eroding, evident in the disrespect for senior civilians expressed by McChrystal and his inner circle, should set off alarms.The great evil of George W Cheney was to set up the endless war in combination with the poisonous politics of our current condition. Even if the president feels strong enough to front the military and call an end to the stupidity and waste of Iraq and Afghanistan, the hateful howling of the opposition will scare him away from the right course.
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Bacevich is an enlightened fellow. His previous book, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism, was an exceptional read. Of course it took a good bit of heat from rightist wingnuts.
The professor contributes to several blogs as well, and almost without exception makes his points almost palpable. Unfortunately Bacevich chooses to contribute to HuffPo, which diminishes he credibility somewhat.
The professor contributes to several blogs as well, and almost without exception makes his points almost palpable. Unfortunately Bacevich chooses to contribute to HuffPo, which diminishes he credibility somewhat.
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