Military empires
The candidacy of Kamala Harris for President of the United States has excited young voters. In a few short days after announcing her candidacy, polls showed a surge in her popularity with people aged 18 to 30. Harris jumped 20 points above Joe Biden’s previous rating. She is leading Donald Trump by 24 points, 53 percent to 29. This is especially true in swing states.
For all of these young voters, this will be the first Presidential election in their lifetimes when the US has not been engaged in open warfare. Yet never in their lifetimes have we been closer to global war or nuclear holocaust. Never have we faced more critical questions about the role of our government in supporting military violence and terror.
In this election, in the midst of global conflicts, we have the opportunity to reassess our relationships to other people and the planet.
It should be obvious that military might has not brought stability anywhere. It has only brought death and destruction. The US, in spite of massive spending on arms and weapons cannot control the unfolding of world events. Our weapons do not provide security to anyone.
In the Middle East, experts describe a situation controlled by violence, retribution, and vengeance. The war has already spread throughout the region. The recent killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leadership in Iran and Lebanon were apparently done without US knowledge, but not without ongoing decades of US military support. The recent actions by Israel, however, demonstrate our inability to control how instruments of death are used. Many experts are coming to the conclusion that “the United States, caught up in its own political drama at home, may have little capacity to avert or even contain spreading violence in the region.”
Having provided arms to state actors, we are reaping the reality that weapons will be used in the interests of those who seek power and privilege.
The bombs and bullets exploding in Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon are all made in the USA. Since October 7 alone, the US has made more than 100 separate military sales to Israel outside of public view. These are in addition to the two public expenditures of $106 million worth of tank ammunition and $145 million of components needed to make shells.
Reporting on these deals, the New York Times said,
“Taken together, the weapons packages amount to a massive transfer of firepower at a time when senior U.S. officials have complained that Israeli officials have fallen short on their appeals to limit civilian casualties, allow more aid into Gaza, and refrain from rhetoric calling for the permanent displacement of Palestinians.
“That’s an extraordinary number of sales over the course of a pretty short amount of time, which really strongly suggests that the Israeli campaign would not be sustainable without this level of U.S. support,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior Biden administration official and current president of Refugees International.”
Leaders of empires do not willingly dissolve their militaries. Kamala Harris has attempted to signal that she is less blind than Joe Biden to the death and destruction being carried out by Israel with our support. But she has given no indication that she is seriously rethinking the role of the US as arms dealer to the world.
Our recent history affirms the power of people to change perceptions and policies. Public actions, from direction action to letter writing and phone calls have the cumulative effect of shifting perceptions, opening new possibilities for different ways of living. Over these next few months, we have the opportunity to expand our visions of how to live in a world of mutual respect and peace and to demand those who would claim authority embrace such changes.