How Bizarre: America's Empire Declining, But Nothing Is Replacing It

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/hard-times-usa/how-bizarre-americas-empire-declining-nothing-replacing-it



For America’s national security state, this is the age of impunity. Nothing it does -- torture, kidnapping, assassination, illegal surveillance, you name it -- will ever be brought to court. For none of its beyond-the-boundaries acts will anyone be held accountable. The only crimes that can now be committed in official Washington are by those foolish enough to believe that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from this earth. I’m speaking of the various whistleblowers and leakers who have had an urge to let Americans know what deeds and misdeeds their government is committing in their name but without their knowledge. They continue to pay a price in accountability for their acts that should, by comparison, stun us all.

As June ended, the New York Times front-paged an account of an act of corporate impunity that may, however, be unique in the post-9/11 era (though potentially a harbinger of things to come). In 2007, as journalist James Risen tells it, Daniel Carroll, the top manager in Iraq for the rent-a-gun company Blackwater, one of the warrior corporations that accompanied the U.S. military to war in the twenty-first century, threatened Jean Richter, a government investigator sent to Baghdad to look into accounts of corporate wrongdoing.

Here, according to Risen, is Richter’s version of what happened when he, another government investigator, and Carroll met to discuss Blackwater’s potential misdeeds in that war zone:

“Mr. Carroll said ‘that he could kill me at that very moment and no one could or would do anything about it as we were in Iraq,’ Mr. Richter wrote in a memo to senior State Department officials in Washington. He noted that Mr. Carroll had formerly served with Navy SEAL Team 6, an elite unit. ‘Mr. Carroll’s statement was made in a low, even tone of voice, his head was slightly lowered; his eyes were fixed on mine,’ Mr. Richter stated in his memo. ‘I took Mr. Carroll’s threat seriously. We were in a combat zone where things can happen quite unexpectedly, especially when issues involve potentially negative impacts on a lucrative security contract.’”

[Skidmore]

1. Not to worry.

The vacuum will be filled. Chaos eventually becomes order; perhaps, order not preferred but order nonetheless.

[polly7]

2. There doesn't need to be an 'empire'.

The world needs an honest world body not controlled by countries whose main interests are supporting militarily the 1% and their corporate rapists. Peacekeeping teams from every country who know their voices and loss of life count in doing the right thing. Small countries who know their viability, environment and people matter every bit as much as those 'first world nations' who control the world's economy and thus every living being on the planet. Get rid of the rot - bring in a little integrity, compassion and real concern for the horrors this planet is facing because of greed, stupidity and total submission to a few hundred billionaires who control govt's who in turn create chaos, horror and suffering with the most lethal, horrific weapons on the planet.

No-one needs a fucking 'empire'.

[woo me with science]

3. K&R

[Xyzse]

4. There is a replacement.

It is called the Multi-National Corporate Empire.

They are the ones that have kept the money which is not circulating in the general economy.
It is hoarded by Smaug-like entities that don't have a conscience in destroying the environment, hurting everything else in their path.

They also have their claws deep in to the US government, where the sycophantic politicians try to appease them by giving them more and more. The difference between a Democrat and Republican is that the former at least tries to sneak in a few things for us regular folk, while the latter gleefully embraces the beast and tells everyone else that it is for our own good.

I may have gone the deep end on this one.

[Xolodno]

5. I think no other nation is interested...

...in filling that role. Just look what it did to the USA.

Of all the up and comer nations of the BRIC, they all have displayed an interest only in there immediate area of influence.

Sure some of them are increasing military spending and developing naval power to project military might, but only at the local level. For example, Russia's first new aircraft carrier for the Northern Fleet isn't expected until 2023 and have plans for a second on in the Pacific.....and that's about it.

[randome]

6. No one is filling the void at the top of the GOP, either.

Culturally, with the world more interconnected than ever before, there may be no need for empire.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[jwirr]

7. In "After The Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order" Emmanuel Todd talks about regional

forces replacing the existing governments. In Example China would be a big power in southern Asia, Russia would join Europe, the middle east would join northern African nations and South and Central America would work together.

That would leave us all alone unless we want to finally admit that Canada and Mexico actually have something in common with our needs.

As I watch what is happening today I continually am reminded of this book.