Lack of accountability plus greed equals fraud, waste and abuse. Unfortunately, with all the money to be made, no one wants the system to change. We'll just keep increasing but budget. I just finished reading, "The Afghanistan Papers" and it's a really sad telling of the mismanagement of that war. Pick any war though and it's the same.
A peace‑through‑strength view doesn’t deny the failures exposed in The Afghanistan Papers; it argues that mismanagement is not the same as misguided purpose. Long‑term stability comes from honoring commitments to allies, working with governments as they exist—whether monarchies, theocracies, or democracies—and recognizing that regional actors shape outcomes just as much as major powers. America isn’t the source of every global problem; it’s one of the few nations that consistently tries to build order rather than exploit disorder. I still believe that for all it's foibles. It's a clear-eyed affectionate assessment. Minorities on the move, including families like mine 80 years ago, are driven by local instability, not by American ambition. It's been a steep learning curve for a young nation. The moral high ground comes from being reliable, principled, and strong enough to help build lasting partnerships with nations that want stability and a future, laying the groundwork for a world that can eventually look beyond conflict (mostly) and toward shared human progress. Hopefully towards space exploration as a species - where 'I' & 'we' are integrated up/down a vertical stack. (I wrote this more for others than you) - Not that I have an audience. :-D
"Long‑term stability comes from honoring commitments to allies, working with governments as they exist—whether monarchies, theocracies, or democracies—and recognizing that regional actors shape outcomes just as much as major powers. " I doubt anyone would attribute any of those qualities to the current administration's America. Hopefully, the pendulum will swing back and American can once again be that type of country.
Lack of accountability plus greed equals fraud, waste and abuse. Unfortunately, with all the money to be made, no one wants the system to change. We'll just keep increasing but budget. I just finished reading, "The Afghanistan Papers" and it's a really sad telling of the mismanagement of that war. Pick any war though and it's the same.
A peace‑through‑strength view doesn’t deny the failures exposed in The Afghanistan Papers; it argues that mismanagement is not the same as misguided purpose. Long‑term stability comes from honoring commitments to allies, working with governments as they exist—whether monarchies, theocracies, or democracies—and recognizing that regional actors shape outcomes just as much as major powers. America isn’t the source of every global problem; it’s one of the few nations that consistently tries to build order rather than exploit disorder. I still believe that for all it's foibles. It's a clear-eyed affectionate assessment. Minorities on the move, including families like mine 80 years ago, are driven by local instability, not by American ambition. It's been a steep learning curve for a young nation. The moral high ground comes from being reliable, principled, and strong enough to help build lasting partnerships with nations that want stability and a future, laying the groundwork for a world that can eventually look beyond conflict (mostly) and toward shared human progress. Hopefully towards space exploration as a species - where 'I' & 'we' are integrated up/down a vertical stack. (I wrote this more for others than you) - Not that I have an audience. :-D
"Long‑term stability comes from honoring commitments to allies, working with governments as they exist—whether monarchies, theocracies, or democracies—and recognizing that regional actors shape outcomes just as much as major powers. " I doubt anyone would attribute any of those qualities to the current administration's America. Hopefully, the pendulum will swing back and American can once again be that type of country.