Outsider Question of the Week, Oct. 10

Outsider Club's Weekly Reader Question "I and my colleagues are of the opinion that the policy of the U.S. (and its supporters Israel and Saudi Arabia), of constant war and destabilisation towards the rest of the world will only change when you have war in YOUR streets. Thoughts?" — Richard F. NICK HODGE | Founder I don’t pretend to know the answer. I can tell you th You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Outsider Club. [Click here]( to manage your e-mail preferences. [Outsider Club logo] By Outsider Club Written Oct. 10, 2018 Outsider Club's Weekly Reader Question "I and my colleagues are of the opinion that the policy of the U.S. (and its supporters Israel and Saudi Arabia), of constant war and destabilisation towards the rest of the world will only change when you have war in YOUR streets. Thoughts?" — Richard F. --------------------------------------------------------------- NICK HODGE | Founder I don’t pretend to know the answer. I can tell you that both political parties seem to consistently embrace war and support increased military spending. And for them to do that means it serves as some central engine for them and/or the economy. >From Eisenhower’s warning to The Wall — it’s no secret what’s going on here. In the U.S., we’re conditioned from birth to be patriotic and to support the military. Flyovers and a giant flag on the field are constant reminders of American military greatness. The armed men at salute during the anthem are a picturesque recruitment poster. The home team is number one, whether by touchdown or Tomahawk. See the last year of news for what happens when you dare not stand for the anthem, exercising a right the song’s meaning purports to hold dear. That kneeling, the act actually suggested by a veteran, is in many ways more patriotic than the red-blooded, half-drunk hats-offs in the stands could ever dream to be. Try bringing both sides to terms. I’m sorry, what were we talking about? Oh yes, perpetual war. I’m afraid it is, well, perpetual. Same as it’s been since we slaughtered the Neanderthals for looking or talking different or whatever reason we slaughtered them for. Same as it’ll be as long as someone looks different or worships different or has vast mineral reserves or doesn’t adhere to petrodollar order. War in our streets? I don’t see it happening in the traditional sense. We’ve far too many aircraft carriers for that. In other ways war on our streets is already rampant if you look at growing and violent protests from Baltimore to Ferguson to Portland. I’m on record as saying the larger hive stays complacent until the cable goes out. I think there’s a playoff game on... --------------------------------------------------------------- [Jimmy_mengel_2018_250x285]JIMMY MENGEL | Managing Editor I think we’re in a really desperate situation as a country. We’ve seen it result in partisan horror shows like the Presidential election and the Supreme Court nomination. I’m not taking sides, by the way, I’m just bearing witness to the despicable way we’re treating one another as fellow countrymen. We’re drawing lines in the sand between Antifa on the left and Neo-Nazis on the right. That isn’t where the rest of us live. These two sides represent the worst of America. If war were to come to our shores — and by God, I hope it does not — I doubt that we’d even be able to mobilize against a common enemy. We’ve become each other’s enemies. Our friends, relatives, neighbors, teachers, and — most clearly — our politicians, have all fallen into the “kill or be killed” mentality. You are right, Richard. If war were to land on our streets, I think we’d be completely unable to deal with it. If we’re having civil wars based solely on our incivility, I don’t see any way to cooperate on military strategy. I also sincerely hope that it doesn't take something that drastic for us to realize that. That’s why I enjoyed [my recent time with Governor Gary Johnson]( so much. He’s running on an anti-interventionist strategy that focuses on our country and what we all have in common, not what sets us apart. During one of our interviews, a U.S. Marine stopped us and thanked Gov. Johnson for his stance on foreign intervention. He said that we had no business messing around in Syria and Afghanistan if we couldn’t even deal with our own problems here at home. I tend to agree. Thanks for the question, it’s an extremely important one. --------------------------------------------------------------- [jason_simpkins_250x285]JASON SIMPKINS | Editor Well, first, I’d disagree with the basic premise of this question, which is that the U.S. has a policy of “constant war and destabilization towards the rest of the world.” I think the objective of U.S. policy is to cement, protect, and further its own interest. Constant war and instability are not in the interest of the United States. As far as the second part of the question is concerned: No, I don’t agree with that, either. It’s a rare instance in which bloodshed begets peace. If anything, it’s quite the opposite: Bloodshed begets more bloodshed. The last time the United States was “attacked,” arguably, was September 11. That’s the last time we had war in our streets, so to speak. And what came of it? Did the United States pull its forces out of the Middle East and reconsider its interventionist policies? No. It went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Iraq War lasted from 2003 to 2011, and 17 years later, we’re still in Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost as a result. So, no, I don’t think war in our streets would lead to more peace in the rest of the world. I think it’d further exacerbate the cycle of violence that’s already affected far too many people. --------------------------------------------------------------- [adam_2018]ADAM ENGLISH | Editor Domestic warfare is hardly the only thing that can change U.S. policies, though it certainly would. There is a strong undercurrent of anti-globalism and a call to return to what critics call isolationism. It was a major part of President Trump’s early success in the primary elections. It was also a major part of Bernie Sanders’ campaign, though the solutions proposed were radically different. This sentiment is fragmented, there are no easy answers, and the political elite exploit that fact to devastating effect. In a two-party system, you only need to be the second worst to win. My thoughts on this topic go deeper though, especially since you mention Israel and Saudi Arabia. There is a direct line from France and the United Kingdom carving up the Middle East with the Sykes-Picot Agreement, through both world wars, to today’s wars and rivalries in the region. When the U.S. was the last major power in the Middle East after World War II, it inherited all of the baggage and ill will created by the colonial powers. If the U.S. didn’t maintain its military presence across the region after the war, the pent up pressure almost certainly would have flared into years or decades of regional, civil, and cultural war. The U.S. was propping up the entire global economy, nations needed cheap energy, and the rest of the world didn't want to wait for the Middle East to sort itself out. Then Cold War tensions and U.S. communist containment policies guaranteed that the U.S. wouldn't leave for decades. It was a bad deal for everyone involved when the U.S. took the reins and it has only gotten worse since, but it was already too late to defuse the situation without triggering a global recession or depression, or outright world war, by the time the U.S. got involved. The U.S. isn't trying to destabilize the region. It is trying to maintain the stability of a deeply flawed status quo and it is harder today than ever. Whether the rest of the world's governments want to admit it or not, it is complicit. They'd rather silently reap the rewards and ignore the problem. Europe certainly isn't stepping back up to the plate. China is happy to watch the U.S. suffer while it makes backdoor deals and buys all the cheap oil it can. The U.N. rather nibble around the edges than address the root of the problem, not that it has the clout to actually do much. Then there are those in power across the Middle East that exploit anti-U.S. sentiment to maintain their hold on power while their own policies and kleptocracies do far more damage to their people and economies. It's the kind of mess where there are no easy answers, no one trusts anyone else, and as long as the elite can siphon away oil and cash they're happy to perpetuate it. --------------------------------------------------------------- To [learn more about our editors](, visit our website. And keep an eye on your inbox for Nick's (Wednesdays), Jimmy's (Thursdays), Jason's (Fridays), and Adam's (Tuesdays) weekly articles. Submit a Question for the Outsider Club If you would like to ask a question of our editors, send us an email at [customerservice@outsiderclub.com](mailto:customerservice@outsiderclub.com%20). Keep an eye on future issues to see if your question has been chosen. 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