Tag: dwight eisenhower

From Military-Industrial Complex to Permanent War State

Fifty years after Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Jan. 17, 1961, speech on the “military-industrial complex,” that threat has morphed into a far more powerful and sinister force than Eisenhower could have imagined. It has become a “permanent war state,” with the power to keep the United States at war continuously for the indefinite future. But despite … Continue reading “From Military-Industrial Complex to Permanent War State”

The Military-Industrial Complex, Plus Congress

In his farewell address to the nation, Jan. 17, 1961, President Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex. At the time, the U.S. defense budget accounted for 47 percent of the world’s arms expenditures; today it is over 50 percent. Eisenhower advised: “This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new … Continue reading “The Military-Industrial Complex, Plus Congress”

As Obama Decides on Afghanistan, JFK’s Vietnam Deliberations Worth Recalling

The pressure that has been on Barack Obama with respect to reinforcement of the war in Afghanistan resembles that placed on John F. Kennedy to send American combat troops to Vietnam during the 18 months before his assassination. Kennedy made an early decision that displeased most of his own staff as well as much of … Continue reading “As Obama Decides on Afghanistan, JFK’s Vietnam Deliberations Worth Recalling”