“How can you have a war on terrorism when war itself is terrorism?” – Howard Zinn
President Dwight Eisenhower gave a chilling warning in his farewell address on January 17, 1961 about a threat to democratic government. This threat, he warned, was the infiltration of the military-industrial complex, which was a “formidable union of defense contractors and the armed forces.” In his 1961 address Eisenhower elaborates, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist.”(1)
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the military spending for 2013 in the U.S was approximately $640 billion. China came in a distant second with $188 billion, and Russia spent a mere $87.8 billion.(2) The threat of any military conflict in the U.S from foreign invaders seems remote, yet like the Cold War, America overstated the potential threats in an effort to continue to support the military industrial complex. This ensured certain corporations continue to thrive, prosper, and benefit from the ongoing industrial military industry while millions suffer from the conflict and destabilisation these wars promote.
