I remember when I went to St. Albert the Great Elementary School in Burbank, Illinois in the mid-1960s and early 1970s, some history teachers told us that the United States had never lost a war.
Remember, this took place as the silly American fiasco in Vietnam was unfolding, and this was just a decade or two after the inconclusive stalemate of the Korean War. That shows that the indoctrination of schoolchildren is nothing new, writes AJ Smuskiewicz .
For a military-industrial empire that maintains about 800 military bases around the world and spends more on its military than the next seven countries (and 144 other countries) combined, the US global hegemonic empire is clearly crumbling before our eyes today. eyes off, after decades of slow decay.
The last war the US unequivocally won was World War II – and that victory was only possible thanks to the struggles of the Soviet Union, Britain and other allies alongside America. That great victory was almost 80 years ago.
Since then, the US military-industrial complex has rolled from one military debacle to the next in a near-constant state of warfare, with each conflict characterized by either ultimate failure or, at best, ambiguous results.
The many geopolitical shambles caused by these US military interventions have nevertheless been highly profitable financially for the elite warmongering class. And after all, the US claims to be “exceptional” among nations, so it has a self-proclaimed right to interfere when and where it pleases, regardless of the negative consequences.
Shortly after WWII, there was the Korean War, in which the communists won the northern part of that country despite US military efforts. Then there was the Vietnam War, with many years of US-made devastation, which ended with the withdrawal of US troops who were badly defeated by the communists and took over the entire country.
And then, after several years, there was the much-touted swift victory of American-led forces in the Persian Gulf War – a “victory” that unwillingly left the “bad guy” in power, leading to some nasty mockery of the US president .
So after a few more years, that president's son started the Iraq War based on blatant lies about non-existent weapons so he could finally wipe out that bad guy and clear Dad's name. Saddam Hussein was lynched live on television and Bush Jr declared "mission accomplished".
But what was actually achieved in Iraq? Hundreds of thousands of dead civilians, mass destruction and a devastated society , as well as a significantly worsened destabilization of the entire Middle East, leading to the rise of more Islamist terrorism, and another embarrassing US withdrawal.
And if that wasn't enough chaos in the region, a few years later the US wrecked another nation and further destabilized the Middle East by killing another alleged villain, in Libya.
Of course, the most shameful recent US defeat and withdrawal came at the end of the longest US war ever, in Afghanistan. After 20 years of US military meddling and massacres in Afghanistan, the bad guys there, whom the US ostensibly wanted to drive out with the war, came back to power .
Another spectacular defeat for the American empire, although that doomed conflict was deliberately ended so that US military resources could be diverted elsewhere, namely on another pointless battle in Eastern Europe.
In addition to these well-known US wars from the 1950s to the present, the US has provoked, started, and been involved in hundreds of other military conflicts (via actual combat, proxy combat, supply of arms and money, or various other forms) during the same period of interference), both overt and covert, everywhere – from Central and South America to the Middle East and North and Sub-Saharan Africa to South, Central and East Asia and Central and Eastern Europe.
The main results of these conflicts have actually been a lot of deaths, chaos and destruction, and a general worsening of the problems in foreign countries, without any benefit to the American people (unless you work for the Pentagon or are an executive at a major defense contractor).
And so we are here today. As I write these words, the United States military machine appears to be on the verge of another spectacular defeat – this time against Russian forces in Ukraine. This bitter fact is hushed up by the American and Western mainstream media, but it is expertly articulated by some honest commentators, such as Douglas Macgregor.
The umpteenth war provoked and fought by the US, via proxy, against an imaginary enemy, just to make financial gains and under the delusion that it will continue its clearly crippled and rapidly declining world domination .can maintain.
Precious resources are being wasted on the destruction of another foreign country, in order to further some kind of sick neo-liberal agenda, while America seems to be collapsing in all areas of its society at home . The brilliant Chris Hedges has called this madness “woke imperialism” .
Apparently the deranged, senile and/or desperate elitist "leaders" of the US sense the inevitable defeat by Russia - although they still do not want to openly admit it - and are now spreading even more hysterical lies (just as they did with Russia and Ukraine, Iraq, Vietnam, etc.) as they begin to shift their warlike focus to China and Taiwan.
Yes, as if that will go better for them than their idiotic provoked proxy war against Russia! And remember, there could always be a war in the future against North Korea, Iran, or any other independent country that refuses to recognize US hegemony.
To a normal, rational thinking individual, the endless American warfare around the world, which always ends in embarrassing and humiliating losses and more chaos and madness, seems utterly illogical.
But the hidden logic for the US military-industrial complex lies in the very real financial gains it continues to reap as it unsuccessfully attempts to maintain the declining US empire regardless of military losses on the ground.
That's what it's all about. That's what it's always been about. Money. Greed. Power. Check. Pay no attention to death and destruction.
It goes without saying that this frenzied, suicidal situation cannot go on forever. Eventually, the American empire will exhaust itself, and eventually collapse completely. And then the war profiteers will just switch sides, probably to China.
But in the meantime, the fading American empire will continue to behave as empires in decline have behaved throughout history, from the Roman to the British empire.
While the shit is hitting the fan at home and things are getting messier and stinkier, the US will continue to try to show its “power” by causing even more shit and chaos abroad, in desperate, powerless attempts to hide that their so-called "exceptional position" is all nonsense.
One day in the future, the current American madness will lead to baffling history lessons for kids in school.