The Class Argument Against the War

It's not a new argument, because it's not a new phenomenon. But it seems every generation has to re-learn the lesson that anti-war protestors have been preaching since the War of 1812.

Austin Cline at Jesus' General reminds us:

Deploying Troops & Funds for the Ruling Class

America's ruling class wanted massive bailout funds for a few select banks and investment firms without any strings attached, and they got it. They wanted no return to the old financial regulations which would have prevented the current economic crisis, and they got it. They want the government to retain the power to spy on, arrest, and detain Americans on a whim, and they got it. They want an international copyright treaty that will transfer to copyright holders unprecedented power over consumers, and they will likely get this as well. You don't think that they also want a series of open-ended foreign wars?

War abroad creates excuses to use the state security apparatus at home. War creates profits for well-placed corporations and individuals, transferring wealth via the government from the dwindling middle class to the ruling class. This also comes with the added bonus of depriving the government of funds that might go to programs that would enhance the health and welfare of the rest of us.

War creates an outlet for the jobless, allowing for higher levels of unemployment without as much risk of social unrest — and what's left can be more effectively contained by a militarized police force which enjoys broader powers in the context of the government's war policies. Finally, it's clear to those who study the issue that a principle driving force of international terrorism has been hatred and resentment against America — not because of our "freedom," but because how we and our proxies invade, occupy, and brutalize Muslim populations. Continuing war and occupation in Afghanistan thus effectively preserves and enhance the very excuses needed to stay there.

Extended war in Afghanistan serves all the interests of the ruling class and none of the rest of society. It will waste more resources, destroy more lives, increase debt, and reduce the ability of the American economy to ever provide a stable, secure future. Even worse, it will make it easier for the U.S. to move on to the next conflict, maybe Iran or Pakistan, just as being in Afghanistan made it easier to move into Iraq.

Read the whole thing.

Class war is not a liberal conspiracy theory: it's the fundamental reality of our economic system. It waxes and wanes, going almost quiescent during the post-World War II expansion of the middle class, flaring up under Reagan and raging unchecked for the past decade.

It's amazing how easily it hides from the public and the press, given that it's simple to find: just follow the money.