George Soros and Charles Koch take on the 'endless wars'

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

George Soros and Charles Koch don't agree on much. But they are linking arms to advance a major foreign policy objective they both share: winding down America's "endless wars."

The leading financier of liberal causes and the billionaire backer of the conservative movement are combining their powers of influence to upend the orthodoxy in Washington that the use of military force must remain a primary instrument of American power around the globe.

A new think tank backed by their foundations, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, is opening its doors on Wednesday a few blocks from the White House. It boasts a roster of leading academics mostly from outside Washington, along with several Pentagon and State Department veterans who all desperately see a need to "reassess some of the first principles" and inject more restraint into U.S. foreign policy.

Organizers are aiming to seize on what one considers a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to galvanize growing support on the right and left for a less interventionist foreign policy — thanks in part to President Donald Trump's dogged efforts, so far unsuccessful, to extricate troops from what he calls America's "endless wars" in the Middle East.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/02/george-soros-and-charles-koch-take-on-the-endless-wars-074737

[JonLP24]

1. Ending endless wars is something most Americans can agree on

[UpInArms]

2. Gingrich's wet dream ... endless wars

Why America Needs To Get Ready For A '100-Year War' With Radical Islam

January 16, 2016
The war against radical Islamic terrorism could go on much longer than anyone is expecting, and the enemy may not give the U.S. any choice but to fight it.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was quite sober in his address Wednesday, hosted the Hamilton Foundation, on the subject of the politics of dealing with radical Islam. Speaking to a room of people packed to the brim on Capitol Hill, Gingrich outlined in a clear and concise manner his belief that combating the terrorist forces within radical Islam will take as many as 100 years. He noted that the choice to go to war had already been made by the enemy, and the U.S. will eventually have no choice but to respond in a massive way.

Though he certainly had ample criticism for President Barack Obama’s current strategies for countering terrorism, calling the President “delusional,” he was willing to point blame for the current situation in multiple directions. “You have to look seriously at why did we fail in Iraq … in Afghanistan.” Gingrich believes that the commission set up to investigate the attacks on September 11, 2001, failed. So too did both Bush and Clinton, and especially Paul Bremer, Bush’s envoy to Iraq after the initial 2003 invasion.

... snip ...

He outlined the point that people knew then that another war was going to be bloody, much like those who look at the war on terrorism realize its going to be bloody now.

“It’s not irrational to ask how to avoid that,” said Gingrich, “we could be involved in a 70 to 100 year war … this is going to be hard to communicate,” he continued.

I cannot express my hate for this walking talking abomination enough.

[Initech]

3. Ending these meaningless wars is something I think everyone can agree on!

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Once you've molded the world into Corporate Oligarchies

there's no one left to defeat and no decisions to be made. The war is over. They won.

[flamingdem]

7. That's how this news hit me, even with Soros being involved

it's suspicious with Koch involved. (Obviously)

[LiberalLovinLug]

5. Good luck with that. But the MIC has set it up for you to fail

With contractors in almost every State employing thousands of people. One reason why Democrats don't call for big cuts is that if that means closing a weapons factory in some State, it will get the 24/7 Fox Noise attack on Democratic threats to national security, as well as cause a red wave in that State.

The other big hurdle is that the MIC is made of a lot of ex-Generals who parlayed their incomes and positions to be MIC lobbyists. They want to make MONEY. One of the main ways to make money is to use the CIA to foment unrest....then offer weapons to one side or the other, or both. Sell them your "last years" stock pile of weapons. Its the way the MIC keeps producing new and "improved" weapons. Third world dictators get bargains on last year model weapons, and it pumps more money into R&D and production of the latest killing machines. Oh and another few billions to drop down the F-35 black hole.

[They_Live]

6. might happen

if we stopped funding both sides of every conflict.

[Blue_Tires]

8. Official marriage between the horseshoe left and right?

Leave me out of it, thank you...

[JonLP24]

10. I'm not in favor of either Soros or Koch because I have a problem with big money in politics

but is it wrong to support the end of endless war? Obama won by being against the Iraq war and Trump stole anti war votes by pretending to end the endless wars but it is was a con like most thing Trump says.

[Blue_Tires]

11. I think "ending endless wars" is just the bait to make us buy in

and nevermind the fact that these unholy alliances *always* seem to work out better for their side and not ours...

[maxsolomon]

9. "Endless Wars" sounds like no one's responsible.

GEORGE WALKER BUSH IS RESPONSIBLE.

"Trump's dogged efforts"? GTFO with that BS, Bryan Bender.