Bye weapons? Americans are waiting for a pacifist president

21

Source: usa.one

Time to go home


The hot spots created by the United States on the world map have long been the site of death of thousands of American troops. So, in Iraq, the war claimed more than 4,5 thousand lives of soldiers and officers, and in Afghanistan, about 2,4 thousand were lost. Do not forget about the tens of thousands of wounded, many of whom returned home disabled. So, in Afghanistan, about 20 soldiers were injured of varying severity. We must pay tribute to the US Army: in its anti-terrorist operations, if we assess the ratio of enemy losses, it acted extremely effectively. They took care of their soldiers as best they could, but not very much those around them. The Americans killed up to 660 thousand militants of various kinds in Iraq and Afghanistan, and since 210, the civilian casualties have already exceeded half a million people. At the same time, tens of thousands of indirect victims associated with the consequences of unsanitary conditions and destruction of the infrastructure of settlements are not taken into account.

War is associated not only with losses in manpower, but with enormous costs. In the Afghan conflict, which will soon turn 20 years old, the US Army spent more than $ 2010 billion from 2012 to 100. And this is only according to official data. Even in recent years of relative calm and moderate presence of the American military, the Pentagon spent $ 30-40 billion a year. There were also very peculiar expenses. So, since 2002, American taxpayers have subsidized the fight against the Afghan drug industry in the amount of $ 1,5 million a day! Strikingly, by 2017, the area under opium poppy cultivation in the region reached its maximum. Either the money did not reach its goals, or it was spent not at all on the fight against the Afghan drug mafia.



All of the above has become a serious argument for public opinion in the United States in a conversation with the authorities. First of all, Americans are worried about the loss of soldiers on the fronts of distant wars. Even the most militant public will not be convinced by dubious dividends: protection from world terrorism and the cultivation of democracy in the once feudal states. The Pentagon has long had nothing to frighten the public with. A lot of time has passed since the terrorist act of September 2001, modern Americans began to forget history with kamikaze planes. A new horror story is needed to justify sending more and more combat units to pacify objectionable governments. Sober and calculating Americans do not yet see such motives for military aggression.


Source: rg.ru

The second reason why the American public is no longer ready to sponsor belligerent presidents is the growing problems within the country. A pandemic that Trump is barely coping with, the associated economic crisis and the unsettling Black Lives Matter movement: addressing these issues should be a priority for the newly elected president for the next few years. Most likely, Donald Trump will extend his powers and, following the mood of the electorate, will have to adjust the militaristic foreign policy. And the first steps in this direction have already been taken. Taking into account the record fall of the US economy (in the second quarter - by 33%), the Pentagon proposes to reallocate resources for the purchase of new equipment. A new methodology for assessing the price / performance ratio was even developed (by analysts David Deptul and Douglas A. Birk), according to which the most high-tech products ultimately turn out to be the most profitable for taxpayers. It remains only to convince everyone of this. However, this is not all that ordinary Americans expect from the new government.

An idea that unites


The pacifist rhetoric that has been in American society for many years has found its statistical embodiment in a study by the Charles Koch Institute. This research center has been engaged in political and economic projects since 2011. In July of this year, the institute awarded a grant to the YouGov group to conduct a large-scale study of the mood in American society before the presidential election. The results of a survey of two thousand respondents revealed interesting trends.

First of all, the Pentagon got it. Demands on subsidy cuts were the leading responses to questions regarding the future funding of the military. 46% of respondents were in favor of an early withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and 44% - from Iraq. These are the most popular answers to questions in this category. The trend of support for the withdrawal of the military from these states is growing in the American public from year to year.

Now about the Old World. The Americans propose not to rush to withdraw the contingent of US troops in Europe and leave it at the same level. The respondents' rhetoric regarding China and Iran is more belligerent: 48% to 56% consider these countries to be hostile to the United States. About the possible military intervention of the Pentagon in the conflict between China and India, US citizens are more united than ever: 62% are against. No one among the respondents is particularly inclined to defend Taiwan against possible Chinese aggression. In addition, citizens do not believe in the relevance of NATO as an effective power bloc and have not finally decided on the inclusion of Ukraine in this military alliance. Here, most likely, weak propaganda on this issue played a role. If the United States shouts about hostile China and Iran from every iron, the problem of Ukraine looks smoothed out. Therefore, it is difficult for an ordinary American to decide whether to defend the Eastern European power from Russia's "aggression" or not. The answer “I don’t know” was often the most popular among the research participants. For example, the results of the answer to the question "Which proposal do you agree with the most?":

30%: retired officers should play a large role in politics.
24%: retired officers should play a smaller role in politics.
46%: I don't know.

Finally, the survey found that 75% of those surveyed urge the US government to prioritize domestic issues over foreign policy issues. The most interesting thing is that the Americans are not particularly worried about the chaos that their own troops have caused in Afghanistan and Iraq. The main thing on the agenda is saving the lives of soldiers and saving money. They prefer not to remember the victims among the local civilians in the United States. Requirements include fewer ground operations and more remote warfare using an unmanned aviation and cruise missiles.


Source: wikimedia.org

I must say that the results of the sociological survey are in many respects similar to the liberal course, which the Charles Koch Institute itself adheres to. Dr. William Ruger, VP of Research and Policy, said of the survey results:

“Given how polarized the country is on many other issues, it is striking how united Americans are in ending our endless wars in the Middle East, prioritizing domestic issues over foreign ones and avoiding military involvement in conflicts abroad. For almost twenty years our country has been waging costly and often unnecessary wars abroad, while internal problems have not been resolved. With all this, the desire of American society to moderate the foreign policy ambitions of the United States is certainly a positive sign. "

The pacifist attitude of the Americans, of course, is perceived positively by the rest of the world. However, there are a lot of pitfalls here too. Having stirred up a lot of hot spots around the planet, the American troops, in pursuit of approval from their own society, will irresponsibly leave them to their fate. It will take years, maybe decades, before the internal power struggles in these regions lead to peace. And it is possible that after solving the internal problems in the country, the Americans will again remember the exclusive role of the United States in the world political arena.
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  1. 0
    7 September 2020 05: 16
    And now the competition I BELIEVE - I DO NOT BELIEVE!
    So you need to understand that the ability to ask the right question is a guarantee of getting the right answer!
    Someone ordered this "music", why? This is an interesting question!
    1. 0
      7 September 2020 05: 29
      Quote: rocket757
      Someone ordered this "music", why? This is an interesting question!

      The groups of true masters of thoughts and capitals have begun a secret fuss over the redistribution in connection with the beginning of the super crisis?
    2. 0
      7 September 2020 05: 38
      Americans are waiting for a pacifist president
      Well yes? Rather, to make everything better for them, and this is mani-mani. Hence the desire to save money and reduce costs. But if it is explained to them that the military-industrial complex is the engine of the US economy and without wars it is a joke, then the cry "More war!" will overwhelm the USA. And to "fix the brains" of the Papuans with clean washed files - in 2 weeks. request
      There are no pacifists there. The pacifist is Pastor Schlag, an ideological fighter.
      Obama has already been to the United States - a blue liberal negro and? .....
      1. -1
        7 September 2020 23: 27
        Somehow you don’t believe in the article, especially knowing that Trump began to rapidly catch up with Biden, and Trump is supported by the US Shooting Association, a very powerful office, not to mention other smaller guys from the same series, plus the oil industry and other industrialists, the financial center will slowly die , the pyramid is going to a dead end, and promulgation and order are always needed
    3. -1
      7 September 2020 07: 01
      For me personally, a pacifist, this is a spineless personality who has never had a sense of self-esteem, in some way they are similar to healthy people in everyday life - they are the best, they know everything and teach everyone how to live correctly ..., in short, there is a lot of noise and stench, but, it is worth a drop, and the output from them is the benefit and sense of 0,0%!
      In this case, I don't care about America from the high bell tower, but a normal dude playing with a red button can still be predicted, and when a man with brains on one side of the same pacifism sits in a chair of a nuclear power - who wants to prove to everyone that he knows how it should be and will stop at nothing for this - to be in trouble!
      1. -1
        7 September 2020 07: 09
        It is not difficult to predict a psycho who has gone crazy in any direction !!! if you set an acceptable error criterion - for example, 50/50 ....
        will press or not press the red button ???
        1. -1
          7 September 2020 07: 12
          A pronounced psycho - yes, but a psycho carefully disguised as normal ... And the 50/50 alignment itself, when it comes to weapons capable of destroying the planet, is not very attractive!
          1. +1
            7 September 2020 07: 14
            To play a toss when there are more than a dozen checkboxes at stake .... I wouldn't even bother to substitute my forehead! About everything else and there is no talk.
          2. +1
            8 September 2020 04: 33
            Quote: Finches
            And the 50/50 layout itself, when it comes to weapons capable of destroying the planet, is not very attractive!

            Who proposes to substitute a red button under the hand? fool Just a cross test.
      2. +1
        8 September 2020 04: 30
        All true, but ... contradictions, sir. Spineless at the button. The paralytic was brought by hand. "I do not believe!" Rather, it is an idealist who does not want to, maybe understand how the world works, or who does not understand. A lot has been said around: "We must do this and everyone will be happy" foolIncluding Sakharov. (I remember very well the old man on the podium, who whispers about the good for everyone, and the wild whistle and stamp of the chosen ones from the people)
        a man with brains on one side of the same pacifism - who wants to prove to everyone that he knows how it should be and will stop at nothing for this - to be in trouble!
        Reckless - I agree. request Another would be an equivalent answer to oppose them, and then one spray. VVP behaves like Katya ... Who should we give ourselves to? (Sorry! Who will we share with?)
  2. -1
    7 September 2020 05: 51
    The Americans have their own Afghanistan ... We also had pacifists on this basis.
  3. +1
    7 September 2020 08: 12
    By the way, the liberal media is keeping quiet about the fact that Trump is one of the VERY few presidents who has NOT deployed troops to any country. And, in my opinion, the only one after the Second World War, although in American history I am not as knowledgeable as in Russian.
  4. -1
    7 September 2020 08: 36
    Trump faces a crushing electoral defeat! Biden will win and become the new president! Serious reductions await the military! The world no longer needs so many aircraft carriers, warships, submarines and planes!
    1. +1
      7 September 2020 09: 39
      Quote: KOLORADO73
      Trump faces a crushing electoral defeat!

      Come on. BLM, Antifa and others fighters for all good against all bad their attacks, pogroms and robberies peaceful protests doing their best to increase the number of Donnie's supporters. smile
    2. 0
      9 September 2020 20: 36
      Quote: KOLORADO73
      Biden will win and ...
      ... will die of joy ...
  5. +2
    7 September 2020 08: 46
    Dear author, do not confuse pacifism with indifference !!! In the US there are people who (46% - who answered “I don’t know”) simply “don’t care” about anything that DIRECTLY does not concern them ... We have the same thing in Russia.
  6. +1
    7 September 2020 08: 54
    Quote: RealPilot
    The Americans have their own Afghanistan ... We also had pacifists on this basis.

    Kosygin was against the war in Afghanistan. And also the General Staff was initially opposed.
  7. -1
    7 September 2020 08: 57
    Under aggressive capitalism, a president who asked to cut the budget even by a dollar would be considered a traitor, and he could not escape prison.
  8. 0
    7 September 2020 09: 37
    And what are the normal warriors, we go into the country, we bring down 500000 civilians 200000 bandits with their own in 150000. And they are also surprised that they are not loved?
  9. 0
    7 September 2020 18: 12
    Wait and see. In the meantime, bombing exercises are on the rise around the borders of Russia. Bombers flew here and there, reconnaissance is being carried out in groups. Isolating Russia has not left the alliance's agenda. They really want to end the trade in modern weapons with third countries and pinch China to their nails, but this cannot be achieved with non-isolated Russia. The local conflict between Russia and Europe would come in handy in this sense. So that the voters do not think for themselves geopolitics from the agenda will not go anywhere.
  10. 0
    10 September 2020 23: 53
    - A pacifist president? - So this is Trump! wink

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