ICYMI: How American Soldiers Became Lawyers With Guns
Angry Planet1 Sep 2017

ICYMI: How American Soldiers Became Lawyers With Guns

More than 11,000 U.S. soldiers are fighting in Afghanistan right now. U.S. President Donald Trump plans to send 4,000 more. Military advisers are overseeing the war against the Islamic State and American military equipment and expertise helped retake Mosul. Drones launch from bases in Africa and the Middle East to conduct targeted killings against high value targets from Djibouti to Pakistan. U.S. Special Operations Forces operate across the globe in various capacities. Most of these missions are classified.


So America’s at war, right? Legally, no.


War, as we normally define it, no longer makes sense. There’s no draft — and only one percent of the U.S. population is in the military. The government isn’t levying special taxes or issuing bonds to pay for the fighting. And all this “war” — drone strikes, Special Forces deployments, air strikes and aircraft carrier deployments — is happening with little public scrutiny.


This week on War College, we sit down with Rosa Brooks to figure out how America barreled headlong into a permanent war without defining the terms or thinking about the consequences. Brooks is a former U.S. State Department official and the author of the book How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything: Tales From the Pentagon.


Brooks argues that U.S. citizens and lawmakers should shake off fears of appearing unpatriotic to challenge the government’s unchecked, unilateral and covert military activities abroad. If that doesn’t happen soon, she says, the United States may have to pay for the dangerous example it’s setting for Russia and China.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(493)

When the Soviets Fled Afghanistan

When the Soviets Fled Afghanistan

Conquerors and nations have been trying to rebuild Afghanistan in their own image for thousands of years. The U.S. is just the latest to fail.The Soviet Union also failed, with a little push from the ...

18 Aug 202153min

UNLOCKED: America's Moral Duty to Afghan Interpreters

UNLOCKED: America's Moral Duty to Afghan Interpreters

America is leaving Afghanistan. President Joe Biden has set a September 11th withdrawal date and things are continuing apace. As America packs up its gear and goes home it’s leaving behind something f...

6 Aug 202132min

Rome Was Always in Decline

Rome Was Always in Decline

Are we living in a declining empire in need of renewal? Maybe.But one thing to keep in mind? Romans thought the same thing centuries before the great empire fell.So what’s up with the fascination with...

30 Jul 202149min

On the Assassination of Haiti's President

On the Assassination of Haiti's President

Life in Haiti has rarely been easy. It’s the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Corruption is rampant. And it’s been invaded more than once since independence, including by the United States.I...

23 Jul 202136min

Lies, Damn Lies, and the Alamo

Lies, Damn Lies, and the Alamo

When I was a kid I learned about the Alamo. It’s 1836. Houston said to Travis, fortify the Alamo. Volunteers came from across the continent to fight and die for the dream of a free and independent Tex...

15 Jul 202142min

The View From Kabul

The View From Kabul

Afghanistan, the site of America’s longest war, is changing. The Taliban is gaining ground in the North while peace talks stall. The U.S. continues its withdrawal and the Afghan military is left to pi...

9 Jul 202150min

Can the US Win the Wars of the Future?

Can the US Win the Wars of the Future?

It doesn’t take high technology to kill someone. Simple chemicals propel pieces of lead out of steel tubes. Other simple chemicals are placed in larger vessels and are triggered by the weight of a veh...

1 Jul 202141min

Can an Apolitical Military Survive Democracy's Crisis?

Can an Apolitical Military Survive Democracy's Crisis?

So far, in the political battles at the heart of our democracy, they have been AWOL. Just as they should be.The military is an expressly non-political institution, even if they do report to an elected...

25 Jun 202141min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
stopp-verden
i-retten
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
popradet
nokon-ma-ga
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
aftenbla-bla
hanna-de-heldige
rss-gukild-johaug
e24-podden
fotballpodden-2
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-dannet-uten-piano
grasoner-den-nye-kalde-krigen