56. WAR WATCH WEDNESDAYS, #56, January 12, 2022
Deification of US Militarism: the Pentagon as God
Tomgram: William Astore, Prefabricated War11-16-21
Farrow, climate change, the displacement of people, and border militarization
Beckwith, A Mighty Case Against War
William Astore, Prefabricated War
November 16, 2021
Back in 2007, in his first piece for TomDispatch, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and historian William Astore focused on the proliferation of self-congratulatory ribbons and medals on the chests of America's generals. Here, for instance, was General David Petraeus at that time -- and keep in mind that, before he commanded the 101st Airborne Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he had never even been to war. As Astore put it then, "I counted nine rows [of ribbons] on Petraeus’ left breast during his Congressional hearings. If they were a valid metric across time, he would be roughly thrice as capable and valorous as George C. Marshall, perhaps America’s greatest soldier-statesman, who somehow ran and won a world war while wearing only three rows of ribbons." And, by the way, those nine rows weren't even the sum total of the decorations on that uniform.
In other words, only six years into Washington's disastrous post-9/11 wars, our losing generals were already treating themselves like minor deities from Olympus. In the ensuing years, much was written about evangelical Christianity and its role in supporting a twice-divorced, pussy-grabbing, religion-dismissing, profane salesman and bankruptee in the Oval Office, but remarkably little about the fervor of those who might be considered the truest evangelicals of our moment: America's military high command and the Pentagon officials who were part and parcel of their world.
They were, of course, evangelists for a religion that Congress has subscribed to as well with remarkable unanimity, not to say staggering fervor. No matter that its god (about whom Astore will tell you momentarily) continues to suck up trillions of dollars in tithes from the American people as if there were no end to such funds. And mind you, despite all that dough and all those medals on all those chests, the Pentagon couldn't keep a single promise it made globally when it came to its supposedly singular "skill": making war. Think of those bemedaled generals then as evangelicals for a faith that couldn't deliver, big-time -- evangelists, in short, for an empire going down, down, down. Now, check out TomDispatch regular Astore, who also runs the Bracing Views blog, on this country's true god. Tom
The Pentagon as Pentagod
America’s Abyss of Weapons and Warmaking
By William Astore
Who is America’s god? The Christian god of the beatitudes, the one who healed the sick, helped the poor, and preached love of neighbor? Not in these (dis)United States. In the Pledge of Allegiance, we speak proudly of One Nation under God, but in the aggregate, this country doesn’t serve or worship Jesus Christ, or Allah, or any other god of justice and mercy. In truth, the deity America believes in is the five-sided one headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
In God We Trust is on all our coins. But, again, which god? The one of “turn the other cheek”? The one who found his disciples among society’s outcasts? The one who wanted nothing to do with moneychangers or swords? As Joe Biden might say, give me a break.
Click here to read more of this dispatch.
Ronan Farrow . War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence. April 24, 2018.
A harrowing exploration of the collapse of American diplomacy and the abdication of global leadership, by the winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service.
“…what I set out to explore in the pages ahead: an increasingly authoritarian world in which climate change, the displacement of people, and border militarization define the experiences of untold millions in the 21stcentury.”
US foreign policy is undergoing a dire transformation, forever changing America’s place in the world. Institutions of diplomacy and development are bleeding out after deep budget cuts; the diplomats who make America’s deals and protect its citizens around the world are walking out in droves. Offices across the State Department sit empty, while abroad the military-industrial complex has assumed the work once undertaken by peacemakers. We’re becoming a nation that shoots first and asks questions later.
In an astonishing journey from the corridors of power in Washington, DC, to some of the most remote and dangerous places on earth―Afghanistan, Somalia, and North Korea among them―acclaimed investigative journalist Ronan Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history. His firsthand experience as a former State Department official affords a personal look at some of the last standard bearers of traditional statecraft, including Richard Holbrooke, who made peace in Bosnia and died while trying to do so in Afghanistan.
Drawing on newly unearthed documents, and richly informed by rare interviews with warlords, whistle-blowers, and policymakers―including every living former secretary of state from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton to Rex Tillerson―War on Peace makes a powerful case for an endangered profession. Diplomacy, Farrow argues, has declined after decades of political cowardice, shortsightedness, and outright malice―but it may just offer America a way out of a world at war. (from Amazon)
A Mighty Case Against War
Book Club: A Mighty Case Against War with Kathy Beckwith
In February 2022, World BEYOND War will be holding a weekly discussion each of four weeks of A Mighty Case Against War with the author Kathy Beckwith as part of a small group WBW book club limited to a group of 18 participants. Kathy Beckwith will send each participant a signed paperback copy of her book. We'll let you know which parts of the book will be discussed each week along with the Zoom details to access the discussions. Kathy extends a special invitation to high school students to join this WBW Book Club selection.
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About the Book:
Beckwith’s history of war, and in particular U.S. wars, details why war sells, the fallacies of common justifications for war, true costs of war, and sensible alternatives. A Mighty Case Against War proposes that this culturally supported, deeply entrenched system of governmental violence is simply too costly, destructive, counterproductive, and inhumane to leave unchallenged. An easily readable book, this is a resource for youth and adult education, and all who have wondered if a world beyond war is possible.
"Kathy Beckwith's book lives up to its title. I probably can't imagine exactly how wonderful a world we'd have if everyone learned this book in history class, but I'd sure love to find out. I write about this same topic and nonetheless learned a great deal of new information here and found it to be brilliantly presented. The author's goal is clearly not to get us to believe something but to prod us into thinking. She provides multiple points of view on wars. Understanding what each side saw helps us grasp what Beckwith points out next: the alternative paths not taken that could have avoided each particular war. If we learn to anticipate war propaganda to come, if we are ready to reject it in real time, this book will have served its purpose, and more books like it will not be needed; war will have gone from 'inevitable' to archaic, humanity from endangered to resilient." --David Swanson, author of War Is A Lie
"With clear, thoughtful prose and careful research, this book offers a systematic investigation into American wars and various nonviolent alternatives. The author shows U.S. military actions with new perspectives. The heart of the book is “a gallop” through America’s 15 wars, not counting the “secret” wars. It is here that the author’s training as a mediator shows, for she carefully considers the views of both sides before considering possible alternatives to war. Particularly interesting are her discussions of nonviolent alternatives to World War II and the American Revolution. The book concludes with a series of chapters that address various justifications for war that are commonly invoked. The author writes in an accessible way about these complex issues, making this book ideal for high school students interested in a view of U.S. history not presented in the textbooks, as well as any reader concerned about the role of the U.S. military in conflicts around the world." --Daemion Lee, review for Skipping Stones magazine
About the Author:
Kathy Beckwith is a mediation trainer from Dayton, Oregon, working with schools (K-12) and community mediation programs. She is a mediator in parent/teen, victim/offender, and neighborhood mediation, and volunteers as a school mediation coach. Kathy became concerned about America’s strong reliance on war as a means of resolving international conflict. That concern led to research and study, and finally to this book. She discovered that she had, indeed, missed some things in U.S. History class.
Kathy's latest book, just out in 2021 is a young adult novel - ENCOUNTER: When Religions Become Classmates - From Oregon to India and Back. Kathy is also the author of the picture book Playing War; a young adult novel, Critical Mass, dealing with sexual abuse in the lives of teens; and two books related to problem-solving, If You Choose Not to Hit, and Don’t Shoot! We May Both Be on the Same Side. Kathy is a graduate of Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho. She has been a Peace Corps volunteer, caregiver in a residential treatment home for boys, secretary for a geological exploration office, teacher at an international school in South India, and host parent for exchange students, in addition to living and playing with her family on a small farm where wild blackberries abound.