The first thing to keep in mind when watching the news, or trying to keep up with the corporate media weekly brainwashing agenda, is “Western weapons are not designed to be effective, they are designed to be expensive,” and once you make this paradigm shift, it all starts making perfect sense.
It seems like it takes a lifetime to learn by one’s mistakes, at least I hope so for Henry Kissinger, and for lost souls to make better decisions as our time is limited. Often I think of the fictional “Wizard Merlin” who is the sorcerer that lived his life from the future to the past.
Even with him at times, he would forget what was in the future, which was his past. It saddens me looking at world policies, particularly the American policy, which insists on being the BIG BAD Brother military might of the world, the financing of which will be our undoing, as it drives more and more into poverty and brings a slew of unintended consequences, blowback!
War does not make for a quality life
And everything that makes for war does not make for a quality life. Have you read or heard anything by Whitney Webb, she is originally from North Carolina/Florida. She is an investigative writer that lives in Chile now. You can find her on YouTube. She is more informed by what people do, than what they say.
Sometimes I think about how I would feel if I realized my circumstances had a termination date, and that I could no longer go and do as I please. Part of me thinks that I have had a great life and it has been long. I have not traveled a lot but a little. I’ve seen several oceans a few times. I have worked for what I have. It may not be a lot, but it’s mine. I am not dependent on anyone. But I’m not done. There is always more I want to accomplish….
So that brings us to the topic of weapons, looking back to my earlier days of investigating how a US Department of Agriculture Food for Peace Program, (P.L. 480) aimed to supply foreign aid with U.S. agricultural surpluses to fight world hunger, expand international trade, and foster U.S. foreign policy.
But rather than supply to the needy surplus agricultural commodities, it was used to provide the funding to buy weapons for Chechen fighters, terrorists who were training in Georgia, and how all this was ignored by the mainstream media, and only reported in Georgia, and then that story got lost from the internet.
Turn up the voltage
I guess the goal of the US Military Industrial Complex and its fan club is to bankrupt Russia, but they probably will bankrupt the US economy instead, not only financially but emotionally, i.e., the moral fabric of what America once stood for. It’s like that classic psychological experiment where they keep telling the participant to “increase the voltage. Keep increasing the voltage; they can take it.”
There are many unintended consequences from NATO operations, just look at Iraq, Libya, or Afghanistan, as an instrument of US foreign policy, which is only intended to keep military contractors and their political supporters rolling in the money.
Having come of age in the generation of the Vietnam War, the Gulf of Tokin Resolution, Pentagon Papers and how that was known to be a failure from the get go, and if the French could not subdue the locals, then how were the Americans going to do it better?
“The Quiet American”
Graham Greene’s novel, “The Quiet American,” explores the intricate web of intentions and consequences that often accompany foreign aid, specifically examining the role of the United States in Vietnam during the early 1950s. As one delves into the narrative, a poignant reflection emerges—one that prompts us to question the true impact of good intentions, particularly in the realm of foreign aid projects such as those spearheaded by USAID. It becomes evident that the road to hell, proverbial and otherwise, may be paved with intentions that, however noble, frequently lead to unintended and sometimes disastrous outcomes.
In “The Quiet American,” the character of Alden Pyle, the titular American, embodies the well-meaning yet misguided foreign interventionist. Pyle arrives in Vietnam with a vision of bringing democracy and development, armed with what he believes to be benevolent intentions.
However, his actions and the consequences that unfold reveal a stark truth about the complexities and pitfalls of foreign aid. Pyle’s idealism blinds him to the nuances of the local culture and the intricacies of the political landscape, leading him to support initiatives that exacerbated existing tensions and contribute to the escalation of conflict.
This fictional narrative finds a modern-day application in the real-world challenges faced by foreign interventions and blind unconditional support to erstwhile allies, such as Israel, where good intentions collide with the complexities of religion, higher stakes projects, and local contexts.
The road to hell, in this case, is paved not only with the unintended consequences of aid but also with the failure to fully grasp the historical, cultural, and political dimensions of the societies being supported.
Taking sides is not pragmatic for most stakeholders, just as Pyle’s naive idealism fails to account for the intricacies of Vietnam, military assistance fails when the policy planners disregard the nuanced dynamics of whom they seek to help, and are motivated by self-interest and old fashion greed.
Food aid, or intentionally starving a population, is a common component of foreign assistance failures, exemplifies the potential pitfalls of good intentions. While the immediate goal is to alleviate hunger and poverty, the long-term consequences are just the opposite.
Similarly, military assistance, another facet of foreign aid, often follows a similar trajectory. The intention may be to promote stability and security, but the outcomes can be far from the intended goals. Military aid can inadvertently fuel conflicts, contribute to human rights abuses, and entrench oppressive regimes. The road to hell in this context is paved with the unintended consequences of arming factions without a deep understanding of the intricate political and social dynamics at play.
Yet another grave mistake
Another grave mistake in the supply of military aid is that the west, and the US in particular, keeps trying to create carbon copies of the US military in the states it is “helping” without any understanding of different cultural attitudes or ways of war, the result, as we have seen from Afghanistan and Iraq, usually results in a catastrophic failure and the defeat of the “western style” local forces, not to mention the capture of billions of dollars’ worth of high-tech equipment by “the enemy”.
Cautionary Tale
“The Quiet American” serves as a cautionary tale, prompting us to reflect on the true impact of good intentions in the realm of foreign aid. The novel, while fictional, offers valuable insights into the complexities of international interventions and the potential for unintended consequences.
USAID and DOD projects, interventions, like Pyle’s endeavors, must navigate the intricate web of local realities, historical baggage, financial interests, and cultural nuances to truly make a positive and sustainable impact.
Thus, to avoid the proverbial road to hell, foreign aid initiatives and military interventions, including those under the guise of R2P, Blackhawk Down, or CNN Effect, as any intervention must prioritize a nuanced understanding of the communities and regions of the world they seek to assist, recognizing that “good intentions” alone are not enough to guarantee success—and more often than not bring about just the opposite results.
This is especially true with what is going on in the Middle East, Palestine, the Gaza Strip, Ukraine and all the countries that are being intentionally drawn into a larger regional conflagration, especially when the real motivation is not revenge, nor to fight terrorism but to maintain political careers in Israel and the United States, mostly at the price of the innocent blood of civilians, MOSTLY Palestinian woman and children and faceless civilians who are dismissed as collateral damage.
It is all about money and politics, not national security—at least in the case of the United States and its so-called close allies.
Seth Ferris, investigative journalist and political scientist, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.