The American Spirit - A Culture of War or a Habitat of Peace?

In a new report published on Tuesday by the Institute of Economics and Peace, the United States is profiled at a paltry 88^th in the annual global peace index rankings. The rankings are made through the combination of 23 indicators ranging from military expenditures, respect for human rights, and political stability. The most peaceful nations according to the report are Iceland, Denmark, and New Zealand.¹

While the poor scores received in the United States for its large jailed populations, use of political terror, high levels of weapons exports, and world leading rankings in military capability and external death from conflict should be something you take note of, the fact that the United States is actively involved in either funding or participating in the fighting in at least seven of the ten least peaceful places on earth (Somalia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq, Central African Republic, Israel, and Pakistan) is to me much more troublesome. Couple this with bipartisan support for American Exceptionalism and a budget in which 60% of discretionary spending is given to military measures and you have a recipe for something that is far from the intentions of the founding fathers.²

War Corrupts

This guest blog post was written by Robert Laney.

Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta may protest until they are blue in the face that the videotape showing four Marines desecrating Afghani corpses does not reflect the values of the American people or their Armed Forces.  Unfortunately this videotape is merely the latest addition to a body of evidence which shows that inhumane and barbaric attitudes persist in the U.S. Armed Forces.  In my opinion the important questions presented by this videotape are (1) how widespread and virulent are these tendencies today, (2) how many similar instances of inhumane conduct by the Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have never been videotaped and publicized, and (3) how may the life experiences of these four Marines, both prior to and during their military service, help explain their conduct in this instance.

The Power of Poetry

Robert Frost once said, “Writing a poem is discovering.” Since I prefer reading poems to writing them I would like to add that reading a poem is also discovering, and sometimes even rediscovering (no disrespect, Mr. Frost). Since working as an intern with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation I have learned to rediscover poetry in a way that I did not expect, and not just any poetry: war poetry.

Here is the irony in all of this: in Georgia I worked at an Air Force museum where we literally played the History channel’s documentary, “WWII in HD” on repeat all day long. I found it interesting and informative, but never moving. Who would have thought that a few simple words about the very same war could evoke so much emotion? Let me give you an example:

Selling Arms in Asia

My impression of President Obama's trip to Asia is that he has unfortunately gone as chief arms salesman to new frontiers.  This says much more about the US than it does about Asia.  First, Congress allocates much of our discretionary income, more than half, to strengthening our military and bolstering our armaments, and then our President flies off to Asia to boost the sales of tanks, planes and missiles to client states.  We call it geopolitics, but at its heart it is about greed and gluttony.  Asian economies seem vibrant.  Ours seems stuck in the mud of militarism. 

America's needless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are reducing us to a second or third rate power, a helpless giant.  China is one beneficiary of our wasteful militaristic policies.  India and other Asian countries could be as well, if they resist the temptation to purchase our second-hand military hardware and follow our lead into unnecessary and illegal wars.  If the United States still wishes to be respected in the world it needs to return to the basics of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and international cooperation.  There are too many serious problems confronting the world for the US to be focused on pushing arms and building war coalitions in Asia or any other part of the world.  We need to think much more deeply about the example we are setting and how it is already returning to haunt us.

NAPF's Paul Chappell on C-Span's BookTV

West Point graduate and Iraq War veteran Chappell spoke to a classroom of students at American University in Washington, DC. In this portion, the author discusses how soldiers have been trained to kill throughout history. This is a portion of a longer program that will appear on Book TV. Check booktv.org for schedule information.