May 19, 2020
Lawrence Wilkerson, US Army Colonel
This is a stunning piece of documentary and a clear and sharp analysis of the moral and intellectual decay of the foreign interventionist policy of the United States. By a man who obviously knows.
Retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff from 2002 to 2005, says the escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran today is a continuation of two decades of U.S. policy disasters in the Middle East, starting with the 2003 run-up to war with Iraq under the Bush administration. “America exists today to make war. How else do we interpret 19 straight years of war and no end in sight? It’s part of who we are. It’s part of what the American Empire is,” says Wilkerson.
“We are going to cheat and steal to do whatever it is we have to do to continue this war complex. That’s the truth of it. And that’s the agony of it.”
Originally published by Democracy Now! on January 13, 2020 here
Here is the interview with Amy Goodman in which he makes the above statement. He offers a series of points – as pointed as correct – about other conflicts too and the overall US foreign and military policies. Particularly in relation to the US-Iran conflict.
As the saying goes – if you see only one video about US foreign policy or want one insider’s view of US militarism by 2020, this could very well be it.
If you found this interesting and useful, please appreciate it…
One Response
One of the reasons why I like and respect America and most Americans is due to the existence of many honest, candid, thoughtful and humane individuals such as Ret. Col. Wilkerson. One should not confuse most Americans with US administrations, especially the current one. Some Americans have been among the most thoughtful and the most liberal critics of the excesses of various US governments. The trouble is that they have been often marginalised, while arrogant and militant officials who are at the service of the Military-Industrial Complex are holding most of the influential positions. It is important to publicise the views of the likes of Col. Wilkerson to show the Americans that they need not blindly follow the militaristic and ignorant views of some of their officials.