Editorials & Other Articles

newthinking

(3,982 posts) Thu Dec 31, 2015, 07:29 AM Dec 2015

By Funding Foreign Militaries, the U.S. Is Spreading Terrorism

By Funding Foreign Militaries, the U.S. Is Spreading Terrorism

Nothing recruits terrorists like corrupt security forces committing human rights abuses with impunity.

http://fpif.org/funding-foreign-militaries-u-s-spreading-terrorism/

The War on Terror is at a stalemate.

Recent, disparate terrorist attacks have shown that far from being “degraded and destroyed,” the Islamic State’s reach is growing. Unwilling to commit large numbers of U.S. boots on the ground, policymakers have instead doubled down on a “small footprint” approach of military aid to foreign governments. But this strategy is failing.

Contrary to what one might expect, U.S. military aid doesn’t produce willing, cooperative, or effective security partners. Instead, it incentivizes bad behavior and drives the sources of terrorism: corruption, violence, and poor governance. Unwittingly, this policy is creating its own enemies.

The logic of military aid — or security assistance, as it is euphemistically referred to — is twofold: U.S. military equipment, training, and support will build strategic relationships with partner nations and then empower them to fight terrorists on our behalf.

This thinking has led to explosive growth of military aid since 2001. According to the Security Assistance Monitor, the United States is poised to spend almost $20 billion on foreign military assistance in 2016 alone, through programs scattered between the State Department and the Pentagon.

In practice, this logic is severely flawed. Rather than creating cooperative partners, research shows that military aid produces reverse leverage: The more aid given to a recipient country, the less likely it is to do what we want. For example, Pakistan receives $1.6 billion in U.S. military aid every year, but the Pakistani government still supports extremist groups in Afghanistan and has deep ties to the Haqqani terrorist network.

The reason lies with the incentives that U.S. military aid creates.

Continued:
http://fpif.org/funding-foreign-militaries-u-s-spreading-terrorism/

4 replies

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Highlight:

By Funding Foreign Militaries, the U.S. Is Spreading Terrorism (Original Post) newthinking Dec 2015 OP

Don't forget corruption Bad Dog Dec 2015 #1

We have a solution that perpetuates the problem. tecelote Dec 2015 #2

We keep shipping more weapons into one of the most WDIM Dec 2015 #3

Glorification of military intervention produces profits at home and abroad daybranch Jan 2016 #4

Bad Dog

(2,025 posts)

1. Don't forget corruption

Reply to newthinking (Original post)

Thu Dec 31, 2015, 07:44 AM

Dec 2015

Which is why the Iraqi army was beaten so easily, ghost soldiers may draw a salary, but that's all they do.

tecelote

(5,122 posts)

2. We have a solution that perpetuates the problem.

Reply to newthinking (Original post)

Thu Dec 31, 2015, 08:03 AM

Dec 2015

Collateral Damage - we kill innocent people and their mothers, father, brothers and sisters get mad at us (surprise) and vow revenge.

It may be by design though, it's an incredible profit generator for many US companies.

Some of us think this is immoral.

2016 could be a turning point if we elect Bernie and get our moral compass back.

Are there enough sane people with integrity left in our country? For the sake of my children, I hope so.

WDIM

(1,662 posts)

3. We keep shipping more weapons into one of the most

Reply to newthinking (Original post)

Thu Dec 31, 2015, 10:34 AM

Dec 2015

violent places in the world.

Yet when gun violence happens in the US everyone says gun control.

Maybe the Middle East needs a little gun control stop sending them guns and bullets Obama and Sec Clinton.

daybranch

(1,309 posts)

4. Glorification of military intervention produces profits at home and abroad

Reply to WDIM (Reply #3)

Fri Jan 1, 2016, 09:33 AM

Jan 2016

Notice the Rambo movies popularity, the mach appeals of weapons looking like assault rifles, the desire of so many to wear camouflage fatigues and even extending this to our children, the accessories to their semi-automatic versions of automatic firing assault rifles such as slide stocks allowing almost automatic rates of fire ( I actually believe the slide stock modified versions resembling M-16s or M-4 s with a sling stock fires about as fast as an actual full automatic AK 47as used around the world in war. Video games abound such as ghost recon, and movies such as Jarhead, and Expendables glorifying mercenaries who choose the people over government as morally superior, the ranges where you can go and shoot actual military hardware including M-60 machine guns, the type I carried in Vietnam and Cambodia, the 50 caliber we mounted on 3/4 ton trucks, and probably the 30 caliber which was outlawed before Vietnam because it was designed primarily to create large area damage to aircraft skin but when used on humans provided not necessary death but huge maiming wounds. This just discusses the impact of glorifying the infantry but this in effect provides the messages, people weak , need to be protected often from their corrupt government and crime, talented and experienced soldiers can protect us with their bravery and superior weapons and tactics. Is it no wonder that fathers believe past standbys of home protection, revolvers, shotguns also used for hunting, are just not good enough and rush out to buy Glocks with fast changing high volume magazines, or semi-automatic versions of the MP4 small enough to be used by 9year olds and certainly by women who often thrill at the idea of controlling such power in their hands for first time in their lives.
To combat this we have to refute that message, by first refuting it in the minds of our children by explaining things to our children and preventing them from the games which anesthetize them from the real suffering caused by war, and boycott movies glorifying violence or indicating that government is always your enemy our own messages must be displayed and supported financially.
But the first and best step we can make is to nominate and elect Bernie, who asks people to consider the suffering caused by war before we engage in it.

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