Trump’s decision to cut weapons sales to Ukraine means that a war that would have ended up in defeat years from now will end up in defeat now, instead. Sadly, billions of dollars in weapons sales will be lost.
Dulce et Decorum Est Bellum Impendere
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The Final Countdown" talk show on Radio Sputnik. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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The Military-Industrial-Complex reveal in the last panel is weirdly re-assuring – anti-climactic even:
Lookheed’s rationale – however horrific – is quite expected and easily understood.
Alas, the first three panels are a fair reflection of the full spectrum of acceptable opinion across from liberal to conservative, especially in “Western” Europe. Why?
One can try to construct an equally material logic, i.e. powerful people have been directly or indirectly bought off by the “Atlantic Bridge” NGOs. But that soft power money (that may be on the chopping block now anyway) is really insignificant compared to e.g. German industry. Why are they so invested without actual material investments?
I am more inclined towards dark Freudian entanglements:
– loyalty to the old master (at this point almost “Stockholm syndrome” type stuff – especially since the new master is switching gears here)
– ego investment in the “Western” project and magical belief in its infallibility
– primordial racist fear of Asian hordes pouring in through the Fulda gap.
Still, much harder to wrap one’s head around…
There already have been sufficient $$$billions of US weapons orders/sales/deliveries to provoke the death or injury of 1.1 million Ukrainian military troops (Russian estimate). Now Trump has worked a particularly obsessively well-publicized “deal” for the US to get some 50% of future Ukraine oil, gas, mineral and port profits.
Donald “shout the quiet part out loud” Trump is truly an exceptional poster boy for all-American imperial hyper-depravity.
Two truths, the military industrial complex is an imminent threat to the U.S. Ted Rall is disgustingly in the back pocket of a Russia that has never existed as Ted romantically sees it.