War imagery may be the most commonly abused analogy in politics. War imagery is invoked to show determination to win. But as Senator Reid and others assert with regard to Iraq, shooting wars have no winners; just those who lose more and those who lose less as casualties mount. However, the casualties caused are the last thing social “war on X” supporters ever discuss, although any honest evaluation would find many casualties, as with large public housing projects which became “instant slums” or the litany of failed training programs promoted as part of the War on Poverty. Then there’s the War on Drugs… FULL ARTICLE
Source link: http://archive.mises.org/6695/abandon-all-unwinnable-wars/
Abandon All Unwinnable Wars
Previous post: Ask “what can I do for myself?â€
Next post: Revolutionary Television Design Killed by Patents
{ 9 comments }
After reading Joel Garreau’s “The Nine Nations of North America” you realize that no one really ever wanted to live in Buffalo or Detroit for that matter.
But those cities like all cities have a reason for becoming, being, and dying. Somehow, Economist never seem to get over their myopic view of the world and incorporate a more complete understanding of reality.
No less is the case that we are even more than just 9 nations. Why if Saudi Arabia, Kwait and Iraq, that trade oil exclusively in U.S. dollars, be viewed as any different form other regions with in North America?
There will be no abdoning the war to retain the value of the U.S. dollar on world markets.
Excellent article. You often hear many politicians, especially the democrats, say that the Republicans use fear tactics in regards to terrorism, etc… However, the truth is, the democrats are always using scare tactics. They’re telling you to be scared of private health insurers. They’re telling you to be scared of global warming. They’re telling you to be scared for your retirement. It is all about being scared, and they are telling you that you must submit to the state in order to avoid your fears coming to fruition.
Of course, the USA has strict rules about war, found in Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution, where it is clear that only Congress can declare war. Without that declaration, there is no war, and the President has no war powers, etc.
Some will argue that Congress gave the President the authority to engage in this war. Consider, though, that the power to declare war rests with the legislative branch. It has neither the power nor the authority to delegate that duty, and cannot duck its responsibility by further dispersing its powers, especially to other branches of government.
Either Congress declares war, or there is no war.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC4EJ8Jlck0
^iraqis before being warred
Lester, Where’s the video of 300,000 dead Kurds that Hussein gassed, and the 400,000 massacred Shia, and the 500,000 dead Iranians in the war he started, and the thousands of dead Kuwaitis and their raped and murdered women?
roger- Probably at the CIA. being kept out of the hands of the international criminal court. after all we were knee deep in all of those actions.
Ah, yes. The U.S. state has the reciepts for those murders; or at least the weapons they sent those governments to carry them out.
As a 20 year Marine, and a Vietnam vet, I may have an interesting perspective on Iraq. First off, I beleive we should get out of Iraq- It is not our war, we cannot win it, our very presence creates even more volitility. It is winable however but only by the Iraqis.
We need to withdraw to a neutral near by country, ready to intervene with missles and air strikes as needed.
The Senate and Congress should withdraw ALL funding for the Iraq occupation.
When Nixon declared “Peace with victory” it was pure BS. However I personally was glad it was ended. Killing just more Americans is criminal and needs to be stopped.
Semper Fidelis,
JimT
Wars have certain properties. Especially as r.g. how long , with who ,against who, what armement gap etc.etc. and also about winability !! so on initiation of a war , the initiator (US congress) is forced to take the risk of winning/losing .
abandon may be an answer , a good answer .
Comments on this entry are closed.