War (like all deep human experiences) is a paradox: it's messy and brutal and numbing and chaotic... and it's life-defining. It completely breaks people and leaves piles of dead... and it creates an opportunity for the closest bonds and the greatest feats of valor.
The tragedy of America's past century of war-making is the futility and banality of the fights, and the hypocrisy of our leaders. Our managerial class has wrapped war-making (and -funding) up into the same technocratic impulses as every other state function and so infantrymen get sent to fight and die for vague goals and secret bargains. Iraq and Afghanistan were as much about government contracts and supporting regional criminals and vacuous exercises in 'building capacity' as they were about fighting. This dishonesty, and the perverse incentives of the system, promote cynicism and hatred of that managerial class. Many recent political developments can be understood as a reflection of this.
Excellent review, I will watch this over the weekend. Sadly I watched the Mission Impossible film which was a waste of $25 and IMAX screen time.
War (like all deep human experiences) is a paradox: it's messy and brutal and numbing and chaotic... and it's life-defining. It completely breaks people and leaves piles of dead... and it creates an opportunity for the closest bonds and the greatest feats of valor.
The tragedy of America's past century of war-making is the futility and banality of the fights, and the hypocrisy of our leaders. Our managerial class has wrapped war-making (and -funding) up into the same technocratic impulses as every other state function and so infantrymen get sent to fight and die for vague goals and secret bargains. Iraq and Afghanistan were as much about government contracts and supporting regional criminals and vacuous exercises in 'building capacity' as they were about fighting. This dishonesty, and the perverse incentives of the system, promote cynicism and hatred of that managerial class. Many recent political developments can be understood as a reflection of this.