(지난 호에 이어)

 

3. What is the Purpose of the American wars?

 

There can be defensive purposes and offensive purposes of war. The defensive purposes can include the protection of national territory and national values such as religion, democracy and national assets representing the national tradition.

 

Then, there can be offensive purposes of war which can include the imperial invasion of foreign country in order to change political and economic regime, change religion, to expropriate foreign country's natural resources and maintain America's hegemonic domination.

 

There is one more offensive purpose, namely, the revival of stagnating national economy trough wars. 

 

In all probabilities, the defensive purposes are not relevant. No country dares to challenge American territory and its values. On the other hand, all of offensive purposes are relevant.

 

However none of the offensive purposes of American wars seem to have been attained. The Christianity had hidden it presence since long time. American democracy is falling rapidly. Regime-change war has ended up with regime destruction. America's global hegemony has to overcome several challenges.  

 

As for the expropriation of foreign countries natural resources, American imperialism should have been a success made possible through the worldwide value chain. Its main beneficiaries are American multinational corporations.

 

Now, as for the impact of American war on American economy, the usual analysis model is the military Keynesianism. The series of economic studies show that it can have a sort run positive effect on the national economy, but in medium terms, it will harm the economy's potential growth. In other words, war is harmful to the national economy. 

 

"After initial demand stimulus, the effect of increased defence spending turns negative around six years .After 10 years of higher defence spending, there would be 464,000 jobs less than the base line scenario with lower spending." (Dean Baker, economist quoted in journals.openedition.org)

 

In short, the American wars are not needed for the realization of defensive objectives. Nor are they useful means for the materialization of offensive ends with the exception of the expropriation of natural resources of foreign countries.

 

Then, why the U.S. continues the wars? If the war continues despite its dubious results, there must be some people who find in the war some benefits. The inevitable conclusion is that the some people are the members of the American Pro-War Community (APWC).

 

 

4. Who are the Beneficiaries of the American Wars?

 

.In order that the AWPC receive benefit from wars, the profit of war corporations must be abnormally maximized. In fact, the profit of war corporations must be very high due to these reasons.

 

First, war corporations receive the Pentagons research grants and tax incentives from the federal government.

 

Second, the use of Artificial Intelligence-based production system can save greatly the cost of the war corporations' production of war goods and services.

 

Third, war corporations enjoy the quasi monopoly status through corporate merging in the sector of highly specialized weapon production. The merging of Lockheed with Martin is a typical example. 

 

Fourth, in a situation of Pentagon-war corporation collusion, the possibility of the Pentagon's accepting high price is great.

 

Once the high corporate profit is assured, the next step of keeping perpetual wars is the intra-AWPC sharing of the corporate profit. This is done through bribes. Having received bribes, pro-war policy makers and pro-war law makers must go along with war corporations for more wars.

 

Bribes are given to the policy makers and law makers so that they accept what the war corporations ask for. This is the beginning of everlasting corruption culture.

 

The following cases show some aspect of the corruption culture.

 

In 2012, the war corporations gave $30 million and in 2014 they gave $ 25.5 million to the Senate Armed Service Committee. 

 

Christian Sorensen shows the source of corporate funds given to the 25 members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The following gives some examples.

 

• John McCain (R): General Electric, Raytheon and several other war corporations

• Jeanne Shaheen (D): Boeing General Electric

• Lindsey Graham (R): Northrop Grumman, Raytheon

• Bill Nelson (D): Lockheed Martin, Raytheon

 

A former CIA lobbyist made a meaningful statement regarding the state of corruption

 

"Years of legalized bribery had exposed me to the worst elements of our country's political working. Not even my half million-a-year salary could weigh my conscience…Today, most lobbyists are engaged in a system of bribery but it is legal kind, the kind that runs rampant in the corridors of Washington." (Sorensen: p.65)

 

For the last presidential election, Lockheed Martin donated $ 91 million. Fifty eight members of the House Armed Service Committee received in average $79,588 from the sector (war industry), or three times more than other representatives. Lobbying expenditures by the member of the warmongering community was $247 billion during the last two presidential elections.

 

However, in addition to the bribe system, there is the swinging-door relationship between the war industry and the Pentagon. The swinging-door relations result in the industry's direct participation in the defence policy making. I fact, the decision makers in the Pentagon and the decision makers in the war industry are in the war industry are the same people.

 

The first swing door allows the two way traffic of corporation leaders and the Pentagon leaders. Here are some cases of swinging door system of decision making.

 

• Ryan McCarthy assistant to Robert Gate, War Secretary went back to Lockheed Martin. He is now Under Secretary of Army.

• General James Mattis is now on the Board of Directors of General Dynamics, then, he became Secretary of War, then back to General Dynamics

• An Assistant Secretary of War was president of Goldman Sax focus on oil and gas

• An administrator of the Defence Technical Information (DTC) has directorship in multiple corporations

• The Under Secretary of War in charge of the finance of the Pentagon was partner of an accounting firm, Kearney which has strong business with the Pentagon

• Lester Lyle, director general of General Dynamics was Air Force National Commander

• Wilbur Ross, US Commerce Secretary had the following members of his advisory group: CEOs of Apple, Visa, Walmart, Home Depot, IBM, US Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Community College.