News & Analysis
US Military Drawdown to be Filled by Europe?
Global Leadership Vacuum: Europe Incapable, America Unwilling ... The Exhausted Nation ... US Vice President Joe Biden is visiting Germany this week in an effort to strengthen trans-Atlantic ties. Global politics have come to a standstill in recent years, with the United States unwilling to show leadership and Europe and other major powers unable to fill the vacuum ... Biden might still speak eloquently in public about trans-Atlantic cooperation. But, behind closed doors, his main message will be that America and its allies need to come up with a new way of divvying up responsibilities in this uncertain world. In 1998, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called America the "indispensable nation." But now, 15 years later, it is primarily an exhausted one, a global power in decline that has its gaze turned toward the domestic front rather than Afghanistan or the Middle East. – Der Spiegel
Dominant Social Theme: The West's power is waning, unfortunately, and Europe doesn't want to do its share.
Free-Market Analysis: This article continues to promote one of the power elite's most important memes ... that the world is a dangerous place and each country must do its part to protect Western civilization.
A subdominant social theme would be that Western citizens should continue to urge their governments to do more, militarily speaking. This is the underlying theme of THIS article in Der Spiegel, in fact. The article shows us clearly that US abilities to shore up its regulatory democracy have diminished – with little chance of others stepping in to fill the security vacuum.
The article comes close to suggesting – but does not – that Germany ought to take the place of the US. It is clear that US officials are positioning its allies for a lower profile when it comes to US global policing. Here's some more from the article:
On Friday afternoon, Biden will hold a powwow with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. On Saturday, he is scheduled to deliver a speech at the annual Munich Security Conference ...
Since the end of the Cold War, US soldiers have spent almost twice as many months at war than they had in previous decades. The country has pumped a phenomenal amount of money into its military. Indeed, in 2011, it spent more on defense than the next 19 military powers combined. And, of course, this only contributed to its record mountain of $16 trillion (€11.8 trillion) in public debt.
When Biden gets up to speak, he will relay a message from his boss, US President Barack Obama. And the message will be: "Enough!" After all, when Obama recently gave his second inaugural address, he avoided making any reference to John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech, in which he said that America would "pay any price, bear any burden ... in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty" around the globe. Instead, the key sentence of Obama's speech was: "A decade of war is now ending."
Obama, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, didn't focus on creating a better world in his speech. Instead, he talked about a better America, one with more opportunities for immigrants, more rights for homosexuals and less social inequality. Today's America is deeply divided, but all sides agree on one point: America's well-being is more important than the world's.
Obama's predecessor, President George W. Bush, had far-reaching, messianic visions for American foreign policy. But what remains of that in the Obama era is the so-called "Eisenhower Doctrine," as US commentators are re-discovering it. As a general, Dwight D. Eisenhower was the hero of World War II. But, as America's president from 1953 to 1961, he wanted to avoid bloodshed at all costs -- or at least the spilling of American blood. According to biographer Jean Edward Smith, from the end of the Korean War till the end of his presidency, America didn't suffer a single combat fatality.
Here's the "catch."
We would argue the above is simply another promotion – a dominant social theme that sounds persuasive but has little basis in reality. The US has perhaps 1,000 overseas bases, is involved behind the scenes in some five to seven regional wars and maintains a formidable "volunteer" army.
The US military-industrial complex is the most powerful influencer in US society, the center of a power nexus that neither political party is apt to significantly challenge. In fact, one of the biggest changes in the US political economy is the rise of gray and black ops Intel agencies.
There are some 16 (probably many more) separate Intel organizations operating within or around the orbit of Homeland Security. The war on terror has given the military and intelligence community a virtual blank check and they have cashed it over and over.
This is only to be expected as US Intel agencies and military departments are essentially run by a larger power elite that stands behind the US government and uses US power to build world government. The policies of the US government – when it comes to the CIA and Pentagon – have little to do with US "national interest" and much to do with the goal of global governance.
One can argue that the US – along with allies – fought World War I and World War II to help the power elite create the fundamentals of world government (the UN, World Bank and IMF ). These are now being utilized to pacify areas of the world that are not yet amenable to the creation of a brave, new – and centralized – world.
What is also true is that public patience is waning when it comes to US military adventurism. The Internet era itself – and information available on the Internet – makes the issue of large-scale military adventurism increasingly divisive within the US. The US public in aggregate is tired of war.
One can argue, therefore, that a lot of the pacifistic talk is more promotional than realistic. The US provides the global power elite with the muscle it needs to promote its plans. Any serious subsidence in the US's status as a global enforcer would be surprising, indeed.
More likely, wars now taking place are apt to become (more than ever) joint enterprises. This is perhaps one reason for the series of wars taking place in the Middle East and Africa now. The Der Spiegel article speaks not only of a diminishment of US military activities but of Europe stepping up in aggregate to take the place of the US when it comes to this sort of adventurism.
Which country could step in and replace the United States? China is panicking about whether its economy is losing steam, Russia has degenerated into a petro-dictatorship, and Brazil and India are faltering. At the same time, international institutions, such as the United Nations, NATO and the European Union, are suffering from an identity crisis about what they're supposed to do.
As political scientist Ian Bremmer suggested in his recent book "Every Nation for Itself," we currently find ourselves in an era marked by a global "leadership vacuum." This could turn out to be a time of forward progress, especially for the Europeans, who may ultimately become the new global police.
Again, this seems to us a kind of promotion of sorts. The US is not apt to seriously reduce its military footprint, or not if the power elite can help it. More likely, any slight drawdown is liable to be compensated for by an aggressive drone program that is expanding in the US every day – and soon will be complemented by a European one.
What the powers-that-be are actually after by promoting a slight US military drawback is to generate an increased European participation, from what we can tell. European public opinion remains anti-war and even anti-military so creating a security vacuum provides elites with the opportunity to urge further European involvement as part of a larger "world police."
Observing the Middle East and Africa, we see a constant ratcheting up of the war on terror; the rhetoric may feature US drawdowns but the reality behind the scenes is that the powers-that-be are working diligently to create more "hot spots" that need US and NATO tending.
Conclusion: US rhetoric is not matched by the reality of "boots on the ground." Positioning the US as a waning power may merely be a way of further entangling Europe in expanding military adventurism.
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Posted by expatriot on 02/02/13 08:15 PM
Oh I love it! Joe Biden who said, "You don't have to be jewish to be a Zionist... I am a zionist." Is wearing a bow tie! Well I raised a few smiles on these pages some time back when... hmmm, who was it? Well again... there is an old saying... "Never trust anybody wearing a bow tie". I have no idea where that comes from, but it's what it is. An old saying. But JBiden! Ho ho ho! In the world of mystical hocus pocus, seemingly rather a cult favorite pass time for many elites who like to join clubs (and here I will agree with one of many jewish people I admire who said "I'd never join a club that would accept me as a member." Groucho Marx) like the illuminati or free masons, or Boheimian Grove and so on... it is, in mystic circles, also said that number 2 is the power number. As such, it is usually the number 2 guy who is really running things... in the case of Hitler : Goring, In the case of Regan : Bush, in the case of Bush junior : Tricky Dick Cheney... and voila in the case of BObama : Biden. The front man get's the lights (talks smooth nonsence); the back man gets the strings (behind closed doors).
Well who knows... but frankly you can be jewish and still be an american... that's cool and that may even give you (if you are disgruntled by a dimly lit protestant america) enough freedom to leave america for Zion if so you wish (but hurry, before freedom has been declared obsolete along with the rest of the constitution)... but to be vice president and be anything but american certainly goes down to something I'd put above even wearing bow ties when it comes to just who do you really work for and cater to Mr Bow Tie Jangles?!
Frankly, as a religion, no problem... I am a very much pro jewish, pro Islam, pro Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, etc : live and let live : humanity is blessed by variety (and interesting takes on god)... but as a State there is Zionism (started by Christians by the way during the late 19 century it is said, but Zionism is indeed NOT a religion thus NOT the jewish religion either) ... and frankly as Zionism is guilty of much of it's own exuse for existing (yes the jewish people were murdered wholesale by the elite industrial and banking classes who brain washed the German people (and inserted a mad man puppet to take the blame) to do so... so they were persicuted indeed... but now they act as antisemites by percicuting their own blood cousins : a fellow semitic peoples who they in fact pushed out by force. These were not a people who had anything to do with the crimes attibuted to Hitler... and these peoples lived side by side in Palistine with jews for centuries with few (or at least far lessor) troubles. Indeed should and could still be doing so. The History is clear, basically going back to 1917 Balfour Declaration signed by super banker Baron Walter Rothchild. The british empire occupies the middle east and cuts a deal with the grand visors to the crown (the same robber Bankers which stole the country's assets in an insider tradaing deal the day after Napolien's defeat in waterloo (and something most accounts of this story leaves out that I have heard tell of is that seemingly Napoleon was counting on supplies via money from that same banking family which was promised to him when his army approached... but at the last minute... once he was in motion near the trap, the force of that loan : in the form of canons and mercenaries went to the Brits... the rest is common knowlage how the next morning the British Stock Market paniced, when Rothschild started to sell first thing in the morning : then as a crash went into effect because the whole market was psyched out feeling Napoleon about to do the next obvious thing... sail for London and attack. Thus Rothschild's agents bought Britten's entire stock of industries at pennies to the pound. And then? America! Who really set up the federal reserve bank in 1913 and had been busy trying to establish this private central banks in america since day one... repelled by Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, and all 4 president who were assassinated? Same family and cronies. Now the Rothschilds were and are still a huge money power among the elites... and the mischif they have inflicted on humanity may well include putting Hitler into power as strange as that may seem... not to mention Napoleon, Lenon, Stalin, Mao, so on and so forth. Does this make jews evil? No. Don't be stupid. Elite is it's own religion : money is power : power is with out religion as the power's head in power thinks he is above everything. Including god. Big mistake! The Jewish people are like any other people : blinded by their own leaders! They are prowd of their super bankers the way the Brits are proud of their Queen, or the Catholics are proud of their Pope, and the arabs are proud of their Kings (all elites : all in bed together) and so on... all robbing the very people who worship them.
No less, the Zionistness of Biden is really the Zion/Federal Reserve connection of superbankers who keep puppets like Biden dressed up in fancy suits with slick bow ties... working behind closed doors... to keep the super rich feeding off the controled sheeple. Democracy?! 'Demonic Mockery' is more like it.
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Posted by expatriot on 02/02/13 06:30 PM
pardon : got cut off :
If this were true, why would the elites spend so money and time running our media and pushing us to trust their take on events as the obvious "way it is"...
When obviously it is a bit more complex and indeed sinister. Voila! Cheers all.
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Posted by expatriot on 02/02/13 06:21 PM
Well yes, it is likely exactly that... a promotion, as you say.
However, indeed there is a logical boom coming in America. Daily Wealth reported this about a year ago... but it is not something that is being blah blahed in blue chip media (OWNed and controlled) : but it is definately something the elites are very aware of (and ready to sink their fangs into)... It seems much of the 48 states is sitting on huge tracks of deep shale rock oil which can run several miles deep. It was only last May that the very first of this was successfully drilled for and extracted. In other words, the technology to get at this deep fuel is rather cutting edge brand new toys for the boys with the bread in control from the head.
The likely problem is that the USA main body of states has now far more of this newly exploitable oil under it that all of Arabia ever has had.
Problem? Yes... . big one!
Indeed the last thing the elites want is an oil glut (which is why the peak oil meme is such big media noise)... Very bad for prices ! Note in the very first days the stock market reopened after 9/11, the price of a barrel of oil doubled. Even Al Capone never figured out how to double the price of booze in one day's work! Indeed when you figure a comparison between bottles of booze in Chicago to barrels of oil world wide from the point of view of over all relative value, thus profit... the success alone in doubling oil prices would per day from that time one likely purchase building a world trade center per... well, I can not give an accurate rate... but guess maybe 2 or more per week or so (any body who want's to go figure... let me know : it's got to be an amusing conclusion... ). That, plus zillions into the industrial military establishment, plus the bank loans to pay for that war which the people must pay... so indeed : What motive seem logical : A man in a cave with a beard who wants the USA out of his home country and is bothered by the USA giving nukes and other such military and annual billions of dollars to the country that attacked and nearly sank the USS Liberty killing some 70 american sailors (google the BBC documentary in this) ; or the zillions of dollars made in oil, war with the added excuse to police "we the people" into mass paranoia so they give up their constitutional rights... add a few theatrical Batman or shady shooting hooks (with lone gunmen which fit rather well into the Manchurian Candidate class : or into dead men tell no tales pine box) into the deal and send down the ball and wrecker on the 2nd and 1st amendments... well, business as usual.
The main expense has been made : which is to develop the technoligy to get at this oil and this will eventual insure america get's richer than ever. But again by "america", let's not be any means mean "we the people" but rather a hand full of already super rich internationalist industrials and bankers : plus the fall out jobs and services which will spring up and certainly provide a bit of life back to the states.
However, that is not yet on the public table and indeed the ball and wrecker of America needs first to cow the people to make absolute sure that aside a nice slice of fall out jobs, the main source not only goes into the pockets of those who control... but that that control has already reconsolidated into the sort of america the elite's desire, which may well be a post world war III america... depopulated, discombobulated and ready to turn in it's constitutional rights and freedom to the NWO OWNer class.
In short "we the people" are being jacked around, lied to used, abused and being told to lick the shoe to beg for our own enslavement so that what? The dream of the Georgia Guide Stone comes true? A nice superior race of the few who were so kind to remove human suffering by obliterating humanity?! If that sounds crazy. Thank you. It is! Unfortunately... the sort of corrupt minds for this obviously exist and it ain't poor working class people building Georgia Guide Stones... these things cost somebody the price of a small palace to build.
Of course, the problem with "we the people" is that the education we get is not to make us smarter... it is to make us into work drones... the food we eat is not to make us more healthy, it is to fill us up while depriving us of real nutrients which might up our health, tune our bodys and minds towards a more clean reason to exist than climb all over each other in a big free for all piggish wrestling match to see who is "the best"... And indeed, until people start thinking towards how we can help each other rather than how we can beat each other to the bigger slice of pie... Humanity is in danger! The elites can not do dittily squat with out the help of the people... that is why they meme us. Vote in the super markets... buy food from farmers, not industrials... don't play their game as their game is the cards stacked against you. Play your own game. But that my friends requires thinking! It requires swimming upstream. But it can be done and must be done if "we the people" wish to not be "we the slave race" who give in to "oh but little me... . I can't do anything." If this were true, why would the elites spend so
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Posted by 1776 on 02/02/13 01:08 PM
Al Qaeda Never Existed
An excerpt from the documentary, "The Power of Nightmares" Robin Cook, a former British MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote that Al-Qaeda, 'literally 'the database', was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians.' Thus, 'Al-Qaeda' was born as an instrument of western intelligence agencies. The creation of Al-Qaeda was facilitated by the CIA and allied intelligence networks, the purpose of which was to maintain this 'database' of Mujahideen to be used as intelligence assets to achieve US foreign policy objectives, throughout both the Cold War.
Click to view link
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Posted by meierfe on 02/02/13 10:51 AM
Since May 8 1945 Germany was neither de facto nor de jure a sovereign state, but rather reigned by the allies. This should be kept in mind as the conference is more a platform for the elites to let empower their position & plan actions in the Middle East and North Afrika.
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Posted by timoore on 02/02/13 08:52 AM
DB, I'm always surprised by how few readers Share their Thoughts.
Reply from The Daily Bell
Depends on the article. And not everyone signs up. We encourage people to, though.
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Posted by nailheadtom on 02/01/13 04:07 PM
As far as we know the power elite are homo sapiens, subject to error and mortal, just like everyone else. The mainspring of their mechanism has been for some time the nation-state and that government configuration is showing signs that its development is slowing or perhaps moving in reverse.
It's unrealistic to believe that every event is orchestrated by the power elite and that all human behavior is the product of their designs. "Primitive" third-world tribesmen that live on gruel and goat meat have no fear of the CVN-75 Harry S. Truman and its multi-billion dollar surrounding fleet. Predator drones are just another hazard to warriors that have had to defend themselves and their families personally for generations.
And, most importantly, these primitives have never forgotten their own mortality, believing that death defending their values is better than living as subjects. Who's more likely to survive, in the end, a fearless warrior or a feminized, academically subverted technocrat?
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Posted by taxesbyanyothername on 02/01/13 01:34 PM
Drawing down would be a good thing. The more the better. The world certainly doesn't need our urging to behave stupidly, or even, on occasion, wisely
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Posted by 1776 on 02/01/13 10:36 AM
GAO Report: $400 Billion Wasted Annually On 1,500 Duplicative, Fragmented, Inefficient Government Programs This also does not include all of the bureaucrats golden parachute benefits either!
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Defending the World, Bankrupting Ourselves
After decades of American protection, our friends can form their own alliances to confront any adversary.
Steve Chapman | December 6, 2012
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Ron Paul says U.S. has military personnel in 130 nations and 900 overseas bases: Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, gestures during a Republican presidential debate on Sept. 12, 2011, in Tampa.
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