Can Canada resist the American “warfare” state?

20160629_pg1_06In his latest online blog post, 72-year old Tom Englehardt paints a stark picture of the Obama legacy on war and peace. Here are some of the lowlights:

  • A trillion dollar nuclear weapon modernization program with full-scale work on “low yield”, “precision guided” nuclear weapons for potential first use;
  • B-52 bombers (of Vietnam war infamy) operating in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan;
  • A new form of extra-judicial drone “warfare” with Obama the Assassin-in-Chief; and
  • Selling arms as if there were no tomorrow.

In support of his critique of Obama’s actions on weapons sales, Tom Englehardt cites a new report authored by the pre-eminent American non-governmental expert on the American arms trade, William Hartung:

Since taking office in January 2009, the Obama administration has offered over $115 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia in 42 separate deals, more than any U.S. administration in the history of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

Click here for the full Tom Englehardt blog post.

For those wishing to go deeper into the increasingly militarized psyche of the American body politic, see the reflection by Henry A. Giroux entitled Politics as Pathology in the Warfare State on the Tikkun website (23 September 2016).

With Hillary Clinton more hawkish than Obama, the challenge for Canadians going forward is how to help our government resist the American warfare state.

 

Photo Credit: PMO website photo gallery.

Tags: Afghanistan, Armed drones, Arms industry, Arms Trade Treaty, Barack Obama, Canada, Canadian defence policy, Canadian foreign policy, Ceasefire.ca, Drone warfare, extra-judicial killings, hawk, Hillary Clinton, Iraq, low yield nuclear weapons, Military spending, no first use, Nuclear disarmament, Nuclear weapons, Rideau Institute, Saudi Arabia, The Nation Institute, Tikkun, Tom Englehardt, United States, William Hartung