Endless American Wars

Afghanistan: "Our legacy there will be suffering, death and destruction."

A Peace Democrat speaks out.

Americans have been doing something necessary and unpopular. Some of us have been reminding our fellow Americans that our country's full and complex history includes relentless examples of racial prejudice. It is a critique that makes people uncomfortable. We want to think we are better than that.

Herb Rothschild

Racial justice has moved foreign policy off center stage in our political discourse, but Herb Rothschild has been an anti-war activist for decades and foreign policy is still top of mind for him. His critique is another one that makes people uncomfortable. We want to perceive America as the selfless peacemaker and guardian of the world. Our full and complex history is more than that. Rothschild observes that the U.S. has an empire, achieved and maintained the way empires have existed throughout history--by war, and more war.

Herb Rothschild is a retired English professor. He was an active participant in the Civil Rights movement, and for many years an activist on behalf of the environment, justice, and peace. He lives in Talent, Oregon.

Guest Post by Herb Rothschild

After the 9/11 attacks, war was inevitable. War is what the United States does. In Houston where I was then living, little American flags were whipping from the windows of pickup trucks, which sported red, white and blue bumper stickers that proclaimed, “These colors don’t run.” A handful of us stood on a downtown corner by the Federal Building holding signs that said, “Justice, not war.” “Tell it to the Taliban,” young men roared from their passing vehicles.

Operation Enduring Freedom was launched on October 7. The Bush presidents gave that kind of name to their wars of choice—the 1989 invasion of Panama was called Operation Just Cause, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq was called Operation Iraqi Freedom. Operation Enduring Freedom will end next month. After twenty years Afghanistan will return to the status quo ante. Freedom will not endure. Our legacy there will be suffering, death and destruction. 

Suffering, death and destruction have been our enduring legacy in Vietnam, Cambodia, East Timor, Iraq, Libya and Syria as well. Perhaps we should regard ourselves as modern day Huns—modern because our Attilas devise ideological cover for our depredations. They have to, because they know we must be reassured of our goodness and also because they ask us to foot the bills.

In the last few days we learned that Donald Trump wanted to use military force against domestic dissenters. That’s not who our military exists to crush, so its leaders refused. But Trump wasn’t interested in crushing anyone our military does exist to crush. Despite his blustery threat against North Korea, he launched no Operation Urgent Fury, the name Reagan gave to his 1983 invasion of Grenada. It made no sense to Trump that people would risk their lives in war. There was nothing in it for them.

Perhaps narcissism is underrated, at least as a stance from which to evaluate launching wars of choice. I would prefer a more high-minded approach to our international conduct, but what parades as high-mindedness in this country leads to Operation Just Causes and Operation Iraqi Freedoms. The peoples of the world, including us, would be better off if each of us imitated Trump and asked ourselves, next time, how will I personally benefit if we invade Venezuela?