Blowback, A Sad Ending or Ominous Beginning?

If you have been following this blog thus far and you find yourself wondering, why does this matter today, than this post might help clear things up. Though each of my previous blogs had direct consequences and results from the actions which were occurring at the time, today's blog can be identified of the summation of those actions in our current time.

Decades of U.S. involvement in countries around the world had not only ravaged the American reputation, but also drained the coffers. The rise of the conservative party would do nothing to put a damper on looming economic disaster, and even worse, would spawn radical factions of the party whom would drive the U.S. deeper into an ever deepening hole. Even when Democrats briefly wrestled control of the White House from the Republicans, nothing was down to stop the snowball. "...the Clinton administration squandered the promised peace dividend in a new wave of military spending...The greatest pressure for increased military spending came from a single minded group of neoconservatives, spearhead by William Kristol and Robert Kagan, who, in 1997, formed the Project for the New American Century."(1) The PNAC was formed by an A-list of prominent republicans whom had presided over Washington politics for the past decade, and they would soon come to the peak of power when they would be placed into cabinet and secretary positions under George W. These same people would be behind the ignorant insistence of military spending on missile defense, even while red flags were waving a warning in the brewing storm of terrorism fueled by Cold War policies of the United States.

It is important to understand that the democrats do not have their hands clean in the problems we are now encountering, though it is an easy assumption to make with who has been in control of the country for most of the past 30 years. Most everybody whom is reading this blog today has lived through(or perhaps still living in) the economic depressions or recessions of the 2000's, including the house crisis caused by the unchecked banking practices of the biggest firms in the nation. It is no surprise that Oliver Stone, director of Wall Street - a commentary on the excess spending of the 1980's made a sequel in 2010, this time in response to the shady practices of big banks and Wall Street. You can look back into history and examine some of the policies which helped exacerbate this type of spending, or even peel open the cover of the smooth spoken Obama camp whom helped empower this corporate corruption after they helped sponsor his record breaking campaign fundraising. Some of those whom contributed funds to the campaign were "...Wall Street funders with deep pockets, like Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Skadden Aprs, and Morgan Stanley. Also high on the list of Obama contributors were General Electric and other defense contractors..."(2) So remember, you can thank ALL of Washington for the production of these great films.

IMDB

IMDB

It is hard to fathom the type of corruption which exist today in the upper echelon of American society, but hopefully the foul play and corner cutting which has plagued the American economy does not spell the doom of the nation. "The good news is that we do have the means to restore a high-wage economy. The remedy has several dimensions. All have more to do with the political power to make the right choice than with laws of economics..."(3)

However serious the American economic woes may be, there have been much more explosive repercussions. American involvement, particularly in the middle east, during Cold War crusades lead to ill feelings in the Islamic world. Particularly by Al-Qaeda, "...an extremist organization committed to driving the United States and its allies out of the Muslim world...", lead by Osama bin Laden whom was part of the CIA "netherworld" during the US involvement in Afghanistan when they helped arm and train militants to fight the Soviets. (4) Bin Laden's rallying cry would be to drive the United States out of the Middle East.

 Despite billions of dollars in military spending, America suffered the most devastating attack on her homeland since Pearl Harbor. Though heart wrenching, this was not the first instance of a new Jihad on the west. U.S. military bases, embassies and military institutions had been targeted through out the 90's, as well a first attempt on the World Trade Center in 1993 which saw a truck bomb blow up in the lower levels of the garage. It is particularly worrisome when you combine the knowledge of past acts of terrorism with the consistent denial of the threats presented to President Bush prior to 9/11. As we know, this attack would be drive the United States deeper into the Middle East, so beginning the war on terror. A war which has piled on trillion dollar debts which we will paying down for many generations to come, though the human cost has been and will be incalculable. The first stage saw Afghanistan 'bombed back to the Stone Age' in pursuit of Al-Qaeda and the supportive Taliban.(5) Afghanistan would later become the launching point for a return trip to Iraq. This return trip to Iraq would be the handiwork of the PNAC, the leading members audaciously selling the war with lies and misinformation. Saddam Hussein, once the recipient of U.S. arms and chemical weapons, would not survive his second war with the United States. Though coined as another U.S. victory, thousands of Americans gave their lives in an a region which resented their very existence, "One highly placed U.S. official noted, 'Iraq is now Jihad Stadium, It is the place for fundamentalists to go now, it is their Super Bowl, where you go to stick it to the West... there are an infinite number of potential new players'"(6).

A narrative which was running parallel to the wars unfolding in the desert, were the gross injustices being committed at home and in facilities ran by the United States. Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib would be the poster children for American torture and inhumane treatment. Waterboarding, a World War Era II technique would join the high-tech U.S. arsenal in its war against terror. "The damage done to the United States' international reputation was incalculable. Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., confided  'No position taken has done more damage to the American reputation in the world--ever' than Bush's torture policy."(7 ) At home citizens rights were challenged in the Patriot Act, and the debates over privacy still rage in the media and in congress. Internet users face extra scrutiny after the massive WikiLeaks release in 2011.

We now face the consequences of past and present American Empire every day, most recently the bombings in Boston. Countless shootings and an ever growing number of suicide attacks oversea's often no longer make the front page of the newspaper, and we seem shocked when an event such as Boston occurs, the lessons of the 90's and Al-Qaeda seem lost. It must be recognized that a new atmosphere now exist, one in which the Arab Spring signals a new global attitude, rather than Cold War triumphalism. I hope this blog provided an important history lesson which perhaps may allow you to look into these selected events in a new light, or perhaps more importantly allow you to shine that light on other events in history, or events that have yet to occur.  

On the topic of having a short memory, I found an article regarding PNAC member 'Scooter' Libby's felony conviction in regards to his actions of exposing a CIA agents identity in his crusade to push America to war in Iraq. I suppose risking the safety of an American's life and the integrity of CIA operations is a forgivable offense in Washington. It makes you fear for the future. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/28/bob-mcdonnell-scooter-libby_n_2786526.html

1 - 490 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

2 - 551 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

3 - 408 Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

4 - 488 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

5 - 507 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

6 - 530 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

7 - 510 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

Morning in America...a Bloody Dawn.

Reagan's 1984 campaign included a TV ad which boasted that it was morning in America again, implying that Reagan's policy had brought about improvement in economic atmosphere which was allowing citizens to thrive again. Not only did it help entrench Reagan into the oval office for another four years, its helped cement the message that the Republicans were going to continue to maintain moral and political order. They sought to preserve traditional values and help stabilize a country rocked by waves of social change. They did this by implementing a drastic return to privatization and purging democratic institutions as well as those in the republican party that were labeled as too liberal. In an era marked with the rise of the minorities, the republican party was riding a wave of counter culture in order to impose the will of the Reagan administration.

Reagan inherited the oval office in the midst of heightened Cold War tensions. The Carter administration, which had preceded him, had upped military aid for Afghanistan in their battle with the Soviets and failed miserably in handling the Iran crisis and subsequent uprising. Carter and Brzezinkski(National Security Adviser to Carter) basically renewed the Truman Doctrine in regards to the Middle East, "Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interest of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled be any means necessary, including military force."(Carter, 1 ) As backwards as this sounds, Carter only laid the framework which Reagan would drape his evil doings, all while being masked as the victor of the Cold War.

To kick things off, Reagan supported a covert war in which he helped secretly fund the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. He blatantly defied congress and used diverted profits from missile sales to U.S. enemies in Iran. When the Iran-Contra scandal came unraveled he had the audacity to compare savage rebels to the American Founding Fathers, "Reagan's 'moral equivalents' were notorious for torturing, mutilating, and slaughtering civilians. Employing terrorist tactics, the Contras destroyed schools, health care clinics, cooperatives, bridges and power stations and were responsible for the deaths of most of the 30,000 civilians killed in the war." (2) Civilians in nearby El Salvador didn't fair well either when hundreds more civilians were killed by U.S. trained troops, one village of 767 was slaughtered, including 358 children.(3)

The U.S. sought to 'rebuilt' its military ego by invading Grenada after suffering an embarrassing loss of soldiers in a bombing attack in Lebanon, but more so the deflation caused by Vietnam. Though Reagan claimed victory, it came at the price of 29 U.S. soldiers while battling a vastly inferior force. Dick Cheney, a familiar face to us today, championed the cause after the fact when the then congressman, "applauded the United State's new can do image around the world." (4) This attitude has chilling implications as we know how Cheney's story would continue.

Going along with the new elevation of the Truman Doctrine, Reagan and Bush Sr. inserted the United States into the middle of the Iran-Iraq war. Arms were funneling into Iran as special U.S. envoys were sent to Iraq, namely Donald Rumsfeld. His purpose was to assure Iraq that the U.S. was not punishing them for using chemical weapons...how could they after U.S. companies were key in providing strains of anthrax used in Iraq's chemical weapons. (5)

Though these crimes against humanity may been enough to condemn Reagan as one of the most vicious presidents in the history of the United States, his greatest crime may be his failure to compromise and perhaps miss an opportunity to denuclearize the entire world. Failing to see eye to eye with Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia's new visionary leader, cemented America's government as being controlled by a military-industrial complex for decades to come.(6) Giving up Star Wars would prove to be a flaw that would haunt the U.S. through future administrations.

Though Reagan stood at the head of the country when the Berlin Wall fell, his legacy is forever disputed by the other choices he made.He was a party to slashing social spending while increasing military spending exponetially and helped groom a class of Washington elite who would steer the ship astray when they took their turn at the helm. I found this 2011 Washington Post opinions piece, which reveals a little about just how little the American people actually knew about the President they heralded as their hero.

Jules Tygiel commented on Reagan's legacy, "...The Soviet Union had disappeared, its communist ideology largely discredited. United States foreign policy operated in a unilateral universe, a dominant military power unchecked by powerful foes, treaty obligations, international law, or entangling alliances, a world where ideology shaped reality rather than the logical opposite. The extremes between not only rich and poor, but rich and middle class, had grown ever wider. Conservatism had replaced liberalism at the core of American political discourse." (7)

We will see that this final triumph over Communism will be overshadowed by the cloud of terrorism and turbulence which followed in its wake. A Bloody Dawn was about to give way to the blazing heat of the sun fueled by the blowback caused by the rise of a conservative driven America.

Courtesy of Hair Pin

1 - 414 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

2 - 431 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

3 - 432 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

4 - 435 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

5 - 439 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

6 - 448 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012)

7 - 392 Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

Republican Realignment

An era of political and social unrest would be marked by the re-emergence and reinvention of the GOP. New Dealers and Democrats dominated American politics since FDR saved the country in the 30's, though much was now changing. After the failures of Vietnam and the massive domestic social changes such as the civil rights movement, second wave feminist movement, an exploding gay rights movement and sexual revolution, a changing of the guard was about to occur. This change, was more than just a new president, it was a political revolution in which the Republican party would gather its support from those who sought to return to traditional values and restore America back into her rightful place at the top of the podium. Ronald Reagan ,whom many claim as the champion of this revolution, capitalized on the economic failures of the Democratic Carter administration and was installed as the 40th president of the United States of America.

Courtesy

The conservatives of the 1980's propelled Reagan to victory after rallying around the flag of supply side economics and a renewed hard line stance against communism. A "New Right Activist" in 1980 attempted to explain how the new right garnered such renewed strength, they said that by forming a coalition between multiple single interest groups whom supported various conservative issues such as opposition to gun control, compulsory unionism and pro life groups.(1) Though this attempt left out one of the largest bases of power of the 'new' republican power, the religious south. Reagan himself calls out to his power base in his proclamation of a "Spiritual Reawakening", "There's a great spiritual awakening in America  a renewal of the traditional values that have been the bedrock of America's goodness and greatness...There is sin and evil in the world, and we're enjoined by Scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might. Our nation, too, has a legacy of evil with which it must deal..."(2) One can question if this new power base was counter to the social movements of the 60's and 70's.

With a strong foundation in place the Republicans began to dismantle the institutions which Democrats had built. Using spending cuts, tax cuts and regulation they attacked "Democratic strongholds" and managed to wrangle control of the White House for 12 consecutive years.(3) It is important to understand how the republican party that we know today came of age, in order to understand the significance of the legacy that this period has left on the country. Though many celebrate this time, the period was marked with scandal and controversy. Next week we will explore some of these black marks, but I leave you with Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick's remarks on Reagan's legacy:

But what is Reagan's real legacy? One of the most poorly informed and least engaged chief executives in U.S. history, he empowered a right-wing resurgence of hard-line anti-Communist who militarized U.S. foreign policy and rekindled the Cold War. He paid lip service to democracy while arming and supporting repressive dictators. He turned local and regional conflicts in the Middle East and Lat American into Cold War battle ground, unleashing a reign of terror to supress popular movements. He spent enormous sums on the military while cutting social programs for the poor. He sharply reduced taxes on the wealthy, tripling the national debt and transforming the United States from the world's leading creditor in 1981 to its biggest debtor by 1985...And as for his much-vaunted role in ending the Cold War, as we will see, the lion's share of credit goes instead to his Soviet counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev.

1. 357 Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

2. 360 Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

3. 372 Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

4. 462 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012), 268

Coming Unraveled

The narrative of this blog has focused on American Empire and U.S. involvement outside of the nation while largely ignoring the on goings of domestic society. This is not because I wish to ignore domestic issues, but because it was a common theme during the period of history between WWI/II and Vietnam. However, by the time Vietnam shook the foundations of the country, America was bursting at the seams with mounting social tensions. Students, their families and veterans cried out against the draft, the civil rights movement was using renewed domestic energy to broadcast their message louder than ever and the women confined to the slumber of domestic homestead duties were awakening. Though all of these issues carry their own very significant weight in the scope of society, I think the issues of women's rights and "second wave feminism" needs the most time in the spot light, because until Betty Friedan's ground breaking book was published in 1963, the plight of women in America was not even dignified with a proper name.

The Book that Sparked a Revolution

This remarkable book has just recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its publication, though many are not even aware of its existence. After  20 years of being told how to be the ideal wives and mothers, this book was a breath of life to the women whom seemed doomed to suffer the eternal stagnation of American womanhood. Friedan wrote, "The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction  a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States... -she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question - 'Is this all?'" These simple, yet eye opening words, would stoke the fires which would produce some of the most powerful women's rights organizations (and counter movements) which have left lasting impacts on today's society. 

The National Organization for Women was spawned on the back of the success of Friedan's book. As the first president of now she issued their statement of purpose, "The purpose of NOW is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities therefor in truly equal partnership with men."(2) With a defined purpose to rally around and a foundation to build off of, the women's movement exploded into the mid to late 60's. Protest and rally's marked the rise of the American women. In one instance, during the Miss America Pageant in 1968, women's liberationists formed picket lines, held a mock pageant parodying the contestants and set up a 'Freedom Trash Can' and "filled it with various 'instruments of torture , high-heeled shoes, bars, girdles, hair curlers, false eyelashes, typing books, and representatives copies of Cosmopolitan, Playboy, and Ladie's Home Journal".(3) This would be one of many instances in which women would forge a new life for themselves in  this country. Some of the most hotly debated issues which this movement spearheaded were pornography, abortion, wages, women's role, political power and many other topics which mirrored the civil rights movement. 

A great portrayal of the traditional domestic role and the 'problem which has no name' can be found in the first season of the television show Mad Men. The first season of the show is a great illustration of life in the 50's and early 60's and eventually the show really begins to illustrate some of its underlying feminist themes. There is a great article about one of the most shocking feminist episodes during season 5 which you can find HERE. 

Photo Credit: Broadway World

The Women's movement would rise alongside the Gay Rights Movement and other revolutionary actions taken by the likes of Friedan and Harvey Milk. Though some of these movements were largely successful, there is still ways to go before true equality is achieved in this country, if ever. Luckily we can thank people such as Betty Friedan for blazing the trial.

1) Pg. 281 - Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

2) Pg. 284 - Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

3) Pg. 298 - Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

What It Was: Vietnam

Last time we looked at what the 60's could have been, but now we have to face the sober reality of what America went through in the era shrouded by the dark cloud of Vietnam. America was in the midst of the Cold War when the next biggest domino in America's crosshairs happened to be Vietnam. With LBJ and Nixon at the helm America began exporting democracy to the jungles of southeast Asia. The war would become a bloody battle of attrition which would take the lives of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of southeast Asians after you take into account the wide spread destruction in areas outside of Vietnam such as Laos.

                                              HAMBURGER HILL IMDB
One of my favorite movies which attempts to illustrate what life was like in Vietnam during this time is Hamburger Hill. One of the most remarkable features of this movie is that is attempts to delivers a rather ambiguous message that is less altered by political opinion than some of the other famous movies about the era. However, with its peak into Vietnam it sheds some light on racial relations and some of the prevailing attitudes of the time. There is also a scene that takes place on a muddy hill which gives the movie its namesake that portrays the futility of the war as the soldiers continuously try to climb the muddy hill just to slide back down once they gain any ground.

Though this may have seemed like another battle to keep the domino's from falling, this time American Empire had made a grave mistake, they were mistaking a people whom wanted to fight for their independence for a Russian communist ally and potential enemy. Ho Chi Minh wrote during the Vietnamese declaration of independence in 1945, "We hold truths that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...Viet Nam has the right to be free and independent and, in fact, has become free and independent. The people of Viet Nam decide to mobilise all their spiritual and material forces and to sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard their right of Liberty and Independence."(1)
This should have been enough to make America understand that this would be a different war than those fought in the past, that this conflict was not about communism, but about a people fighting for their freedom after years of repression, much like America had once done in 1776. However, this particular quote has ominous meaning for two additional reasons during this period in American history, 1) America was forcing democracy into a nation that neither wanted nor needed it and 2) was ignoring those same 'unalienable' rights to their own people domestically. 

I think the Vietnam era was so grim not only because of the unnecessary war that was raging in Asia, but because of the massive backlash and demonstrations(both violent and non) that were taking place at home in regards to the draft, students, civil rights and treatment of veterans(and particularly the efforts that were going towards stifling these movements).  It would seem that the American century which followed in the wake of World War II dominance was coming to an end and Vietnam was the catalyst for change at home. Perhaps though the war could never be classified as good, it can be classified as helpful since it allowed Americans to question what their government was doing, and gave the people of the United States a chance to reevaluate their lives at home. The years during and in the wake of Vietnam would bring about the height of the civil rights movement and pave the way for sexual revolution. 

1) 325 - Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.