This report from a conference promoting America’s military-industrial complex unveils the dystopian core behind Blinken and co's Keep Rocking in the Free World
"A huge aspect of war in a democracy, Karp went on to argue, is leaders successfully selling that war domestically. “If we lose the intellectual debate, you will not be able to deploy any armies in the west ever,” Karp said"
America’s military-industrial complex took center stage at AI Expo for National Competitiveness, where a fire-breathing panel set the tone
www.theguardian.com
Thanks that was an interesting read.
This struck me. The journalist goes around the conference chatting to people. One said they reason they worked for the software company that makes stuff for Israel among others was that she was one of those people:
who are interested in national security, who understand there aren’t black and white solutions,” she said. “People who want to defend western democracies.”
This was not one of the high up but run of mill worker for company. Some people genuinely have these idealistic views. Its imo a new cold war. I'm not having a go at people like this. Entitled to their views.
What I object to is that if one does not sign up to this one is basically treated as not having a legitimate opinion.
Reminded me of David Lammy in speech he gave recently in US where he said:
“There will be tensions, but in the end the nature of our shared intelligence capability and our military endeavour – and we saw that recently above the skies of Israel and Jordan – and our shared interest in pushing back against this authoritarian cabal that is coming together, means that I think we will survive the wrinkles when they appear.
So theres "us" fighting the "Cabal" - Russia / Iran/ and possibly China and there proxies to defend democracy and Western values.
The its not black and white I take it to mean defending democracies West might have issues with over their behaviour like Israel and having allies like Saudi Arabia. Whose states do not appear to me to represent these vaunted Western values that we are defending. But there you go,
The other thing that struck me from the Guardian article on the conference was the general view that those in western democracies who have reservations about this are in words of one of the more frank talkers at conference:
an infection inside of our society”.
To be ridiculed.
And an ex US armed forces said:
By the panel’s end, he was describing Americans who oppose the war in Gaza as “supporting a terrorist organization”.
This is where those in West ( like me) who wont sign up to this are treated are illegitimate.
Seems to me there is the centre ground ( Lammy ) and the more of the wall ( Billionaire CEOs and Ex western military} who genuinely think that western values are under threat and a new cold war against an authoritarian Cabal and their supposed proxies is warranted. If this is not succeeding then even more weapons and even more sophisticated hardware/ software needs to be produced.
And anyone in West who says hold on a minute is in effect supporting the "authoritarian Cabal"
In Washington DC speech, shadow foreign secretary says Labour ‘will always work with US, whoever wins’
www.theguardian.com
dawnmena.org
