Chalmers Johnson: Three Good Reasons To Liquidate Our Empire
by Chalmers Johnson
However overambitious President Barack Obama's domestic plans, one unacknowledged issue has the potential to destroy any reform efforts he might set in motion. Think of it as the 800-pound gorilla in the American living room: our longstanding reliance on imperialism and militarism in our relations with other countries and the measureless, potentially ruinous global empire of bases that goes with it. The failure to begin to deal with our bloated military origin and the profligate use of it in missions for which it is hopelessly inappropriate will, sooner rather than later, condemn the United States to a devastating troika of consequences: imperial overstretch, perpetual war, and insolvency, leading to a likely collapse similar to that of the former Soviet Union.
According to the 2008 stiff Pentagon inventory of our military bases around the world, our empire consists of 865 facilities in more than 40 countries and abroad U.S. territories. We deploy over 190,000 troops in 46 countries and territories.
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In general
