A WAKE UP CALL

 

A WAKE UP CALL

There is no greater fool than the fool who fools himself.

 

Deception has always loomed large in our lives.  Lying and deceiving characterizes our species more so than any other in the natural world.  Nothing else comes even close.  We use it to gain power and control and exercise supremacy over others, even from within.  Those with the most to gain also have the most to lose.  When the British Empire reluctantly surrendered the baton of the number one world superpower to the United States, it did so under a new mantle of protection. It became a vassal, rather than a leader, pledging allegiance so that it could ride on the coattails of an emerging economic powerhouse that would lead the world like no other nation has done before in recent history.  This past century America has been at the vanguard of economic developments and strategies that rightfully gave rise to its dominant position and it has spawned talent and innovation like no other.  But those heady days are over and by and large they have been the masters of their own demise.  Listening to the siren songs of others can entice imperial masters to do the strangest things and some of them have been so costly that it has left a former lender of money in the position of turning into one of the world’s biggest debtor nations.  All of it accomplished in record time.

Lavishing praise while turning the tables.

I am not a proponent of conspiracy theories but rather an observer of human traits and characteristics that can lead . . . but can also be led . . . in unexpected directions.  It is the latter where deception plays a role.  If you can’t beat a rising star at its own game, how do you go about achieving its defeat?  America started out with brawn over brain, going out of their way to be the biggest and strongest, financially and militarily.

No other nation has invested as much money in security as the United States.

But somehow the global power game has been turned into American fear and paranoia and it plays out in the dozens of security agencies that employ hundreds of thousands of Americans concerning themselves with the nations’ borders and security.  Electronic eavesdropping, massive intelligence gathering and all with heightened levels of paranoia to justify the trillions of dollars spent annually on intelligence and the military.  Costly.  Funded by tax dollars and adding to a growing mountain of federal debt that has exceeded 40 trillion.  Threats real or imagined or cleverly hyped and manipulated?  Who do they listen to?  Who are they enticed to listen to?  Is their level of paranoia justified?  What are they made to believe?  Who do they believe?

Efforts to undermine a superpower start early.

Exaggerate, exaggerate.  Blow everything out of proportion.

How do you defeat a superpower?  Russia learned to its chagrin that a totalitarian regime is a total failure.  Especially when a government attempts to run the economy.  China wisely changed course and has allowed state sponsored capitalism to intervene and build a booming economy.  China and Russia have been around a lot longer than America.  They have been alternately invaded, occupied, divided and exploited so many times that they have become masters at survival and a fledgling communist Russia was quick to adapt to a new reality: if you can’t beat them at their own game, spy and subvert, steal technology and infiltrate your enemy.  Not only weaken your opponent, but make them invest in their growing paranoia.  Feed it.  Make them believe that the mighty Russian bear is out to get them.  Give them an enemy.  Give them a cause.  Ditto for China.  Lay it on thick!  And they are not the only players!  The rest of the world is catching on, waiting patiently for the American eagle to fall from its perch.  And as for as blowing things out of proportion, from the lips of Trump it is a never ending stream.

Imperial masters are gullible and vanity is like pixie dust.

America has never been great at playing the long game and has always relied on being able to outsmart an opponent by building up their security services and military might.  England did it.  Huge armies spread out around the world.  A massive colonial administrative network protecting trade and industry.  However, historically the occupied patiently wait for the right moment to get even.  The oppressed fight back.  I have written quite a bit lately about tribal origin and how deep those roots run.  History shows that most tribes end up living back within their original borders.  Either the occupiers leave or the occupied take their lands or nation back.

Blow up their egos.

How have they gone about subverting American supremacy?  Allies and supporters of an emerging empire use their submissive support to extract military and trade protection, buttering up if you will to a superior force.  Entering into alliances requires sensitive diplomatic toes as everyone involved threads carefully around disputes that inevitably will arise.  You want to keep the guy with the big club relatively happy without giving the store away.  Give and take, sometimes a nibble, sometimes a bite.  One time-tested tactic is praise and tribute, letting the superpower know how important their strength is and the superpower responds by increasing their military expenditures, research and development.  The so-called bad guys sharpen the knives of fear and paranoia by feeding into the stories; a prick and a needle here and there, carefully planted tales, the odd attack, followed by an indignant denial.  It entices imperial masters to invest even more money into building up their might and protective barriers.  The cost of financing a huge military is horrendous, tax dollars wasted on a no-return investment.  The empire gradually drowns itself into a morass of debt.  And when it comes to imperial aspirations; you’re either all in, or all out.  The wise stay out.  Let the other guy dig the holes.

Misplaced hubris kills all history lessons.

In America the sad financial horror story of empire building is unfolding like a badly written script and Trump and company are hastening the demise through bad foreign policies and escapades and alienating themselves from their allies as well.  Just when they need all the support they can get, they are cutting themselves off with isolationist policies.  The former USSR bankrupted itself because of a totalitarian approach to governing and that included trying to run the economy.  It appears that Trump and company are reaching for a similar approach.  Sanctions, tariffs, threats, ill-executed military adventures.  All the rest of the world has to do is stand back and watch America implode.

Manipulated to pursue strength through force.

America has been manipulated for decades by targeted, manipulative misdirection.  They shouldn’t feel bad.  Blame the conflict model all nations have played for millennia.  Rather than focusing on economic strength at home and abroad they have invested instead in a military and security apparatus that has undermined the financial strength of the nation.  Wealth generation has to come from the private sector based on need and demand.  A hard-working private sector economy generates and provides the kind of tax base that governments need to deliver programs and services.  The military is not an investment, it is a cost factor.  Blowing tax dollars on fancy adventures like “conquering” space and seeing who can build the biggest stick, is not smart either. 

Make them waste tax dollars.

America has allowed itself to be played like a fiddle.  All imperial aspirations carry a hefty price tag and had America been content to be part of a coalition of the likeminded, rather than demanding to play the lead role, it might have moved forward with a more cautious approach and with less hubris.  The American eagle has not aged gracefully.  It is looking worn and tired, with clipped wings, beak and claws.  Trump’s clownery and inappropriate iterations are only rushing the inevitable along.

It is near impossible to reverse the death throes of empire and it will try just about anything: invasions, occupations, economic threats and coercion, sanctions, bans, blockades, tariffs.  The feeble death rattles of a former giant grasping at straws.

No clear successors in sight.

Unfortunately there is no immediate relief in sight and success is about as elusive and stubborn as huge global debt levels that refuse to budge and go away.  We’re not done with playing the imperial game but opportunities are fading globally.  An out-of-control human population with insatiable needs and demands stubbornly resists solutions.  With rising scarcities in energy and resources, it is highly improbable that any new nation will emerge to vie for top spot.  Anyone counting on greater global cooperation as an answer is looking in all the wrong places.  A new enemy has emerged, one of our own making that is upsetting the applecart.  Eco-fatigue

Eco-fatigue will be featured as the next article.

Feel free to comment or share.

wbes6646@gmail.com