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COMMENT: Many have forgotten the reassuring prognostications by the George W. Bush administration concerning the invasion of Iraq and the bounty that would flow from that misadventure. With Grover Norquist crafting much of the plan for the post-invasion Iraqi economy, we were assured that profound economic benefits would accrue from that operation.
The analysis turned out to be premature.
Perspective can be gained on this country’s (seemingly endless) foreign military adventures from Imperial Japan’s addiction to invasion and war. ” . . . . Great quantities of treasure came from each victory, but quickly vanished into the usual hiding places, so Japan’s ruling elite became very much richer. Meanwhile, the public treasury was exhausted by military expenditures, and ordinary Japanese were squeezed to make up the deficit. In short, the underlying problem of a corrupt ruling elite was only aggravated by infusions of stolen treasure. . . .”
It was failure in Manchuria that caused the Japanese to invade China, and failure in China that caused them to invade Southeast Asia. In each instance they thought expanding the war zone would solve their problems. How can victory mean failure? The answer is surprisingly simple. Great quantities of treasure came from each victory, but quickly vanished into the usual hiding places, so Japan’s ruling elite became very much richer. Meanwhile, the public treasury was exhausted by military expenditures, and ordinary Japanese were squeezed to make up the deficit. In short, the underlying problem of a corrupt ruling elite was only aggravated by infusions of stolen treasure. Disaster lay ahead, but in a culture where conspicuous patriotism is the bottom line, few dared to speak out. Getting bogged down in China removed all restraints on military spending, so both the army and navy gambled on advancing farther south. . . .
Discussion
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