Conversations with History: Max Boot

[lodproductions90]

For a second I had great hopes when he said: "We have learned a lot from the Irak war". But then he goes on to explain how to be more effective in the next wars.

[Re5Publica]

@lodproductions90 Did you naively believe the possibility that there would be no more wars in the future? That something that has dogged mankind since the beginning of civilization would suddenly end because of the relatively insignificant Iraq war?

If you weren't so base as to believe that, then you must be for thinking ahead in order to fight the next inevitable war, quicker, more efficiently and with less human cost, right?

[WeToldYouSo1]

This is as low as it can get. The US has become the very definition of imperialism.

[amymom6]

If "micro-meddling" and "managing"of the military in war by civilian politicians is a detriment to victory,then what is Mr.Boot's take on the recent firing of Gen.McCrystal? Does anybody have insights?To what extent are American Generals during these present

wars free to formulate strategy apart from civilian politicos in Washington D.C.?To what extent did the dominance of politics prevent american victory in Vietnam?

[Infamousmoose]

Man needs to wake up and smell the world when it comes to his views on 20th Century America

[ColonyMovie]

Great Talk.

[patnais102]

5:17 the spanish armada crushed it self in the Irish sea. That's like saying Kubilai Khan's fleet got defeated by the japanese while in fact a cyclone destroyed it.

[patnais102]

Bush is not that dumb, if you look at the big picture , his friends made money , he secured one of the major ,easy to extract, source of oil and added military base in the region to replace the one lost in Saudi Arabia. It's all about perception, if we (as canadian I'm an american from a market point of view) take control of Iran and Venezeuela (6 new military bases in Columbia last year) we will control 13 out of the 14 major source of oil on the planet a.k.a bye bye China's growth.

[LuckyPierre78]

Boot is infinitely wiser than any of you morons.

[mdoob11]

lol, a "reaganite". Yes, the brutal, repressive, terrorist war Reagan waged against South America makes Reagan such a wonderful man.

Boot needs a boot in the ass.

[patnais102]

The same repressive terrorist war who gave you access to your cheap bananas , pineapple , cocoa ,exotic wood etc. Anti war people will be the first rioting in the street the day the american people will realize what's the real cost of what we are waisting on a daily base. By american I includes us canadian. In a near future the social net and subsidize to companies will collapse and then you will eat dirt and cry remembering the good old days of the mighty american empire.

[mdoob11]

a little hyperbolic, dont you think? western luxury, at the expense of much of the developing world, is a reality that needs to be dealt with. while we benefit, others suffer. to bring about a more humane and equal balance would indeed hinder our opulence, but not to the extent to which you imply. we must simple moderate our habits of hyperconsumption.

[patnais102]

It have been the same pattern for 5500 years now so no it's not a little hyperbolic. You know why we are told about equality and all those eutopia at school and in society in general? Socrate (the father of our philosophy)called it the noble lie. If we were born to be equal everyone would have the same Q.I the same physical ability and we would all be robot. Diversity is really nice but there is bad part to everything and the bad part is exploitation of certain group by others.

[patnais102]

5500 years is just what we have record of by the way. The same pattern can be seen with insects , animals, plants , micro organism etc. We are part of nature (even if we tend to forget it) we are not exempt from this law. There is 2 kind of people advocating those value , naive idealist and pragmatic people who want to become leader (you don't lead people by telling them their will be inequality). The left is an anti-chamber for Fascism (Léo Ferré), Obama is not a good enough example for you?

[patnais102]

He made his political career on key subject like Social equality , universal health care , anti war movement and all those nice words disappear now that he is in office (Seeing all those idiots who chanting Yes we can , while I knew nothing was going to change made me laugh, Chomsky is so accurate in his analyses). He legalized the monopole of health assurance companies, escalated both war, increased bombing in Pakistan and now Yemen. Yes we can haha.

[patnais102]

I agree with you on one point. Over consumption should stop and it will stop. Because the masses in general will lose all their (already inexistent I should almost say credit) purchasing power in advanced countries.

N.B: I know I make a lot of grammatical and spelling error but english is my third language and we should not forget that the main function of language is communication.

[mdoob11]

i didnt suggest complete egalitarianism. i suggested a 'more human and equal balance', by which i was suggesting a redistribution of wealth locally and internationally. private property is an illegitimate right, since it demands the possession of resources and industry by some and the exploitation of the rest. we can strive towards a superior social/political organization. diversity is nice, but it doesnt require severe economic disparities, nor does it necessarily produce them.

[patnais102]

Have you ever heard of greed and egoism? 2 great human qualities that make the utopia like the one you are talking about impossible. Typical revolutionary mind , we will create a more equal system on the same old bases. If you want an egalitarians society there is only one way possible: go practice subsistence farming. That's the only way to avoid exploitation. As long as someone will be doing for you the basic work every human should do to survive you will be exploiting someone or something.

[mdoob11]

Human nature is an incredibly naive postulation. Obviously, humans have the capacity to be have sympathy and solidarity and act cooperatively, and simultaneously its clear that humans can act with self interest and avarice. What conclusion do we draw from this? Surely not to organize society in such a way that our "greedy" features will be accentuated or amplified. Rather, society should be organized to take advantage of our collective capabilities. For the 2nd time, I'm not advocating equality.

[mdoob11]

Instead, I'm advocating that society undertake a superior organization. State capitalist systems create concentrations of wealth and power, and are by definition undemocratic. In advanced industrial nations, there is no reason, especially with our communication technologies, to be pervasively democratic. Workers should manage their affairs, a la work place or factory, democratically. That is, if we're democrats, and not status quo liberals. That's not equality, it's democracy.

[patnais102]

You see that's the beauty of Chomsky and cie. You repeat word for word what he and others like him are saying. You advocate for greater centralization(I'm advocating that society undertake a superior organization) which would mean a globalization of politics to follow the globalization of economy (power corrupt , absolute power bring absolute corruption). You want a superior organization but could you definite it?

[patnais102]

Since you can not (except for a participative democracy) I will definite it. It will be like every administrative structure we had for the last thousands of years: An elite , the guardian and the mass bellow. It will always be this way. Masses are not masses for nothing , they are common worker because they don't have the capacities to be something else ( at least in our system , where education is free). Why would you ask a common worker his advice on a foreign policy issue?

[patnais102]

You have to be carefully brainwashed to believe that everyone have the same judgement capacity and what they have to say is brilliant. If you ask a worker if he want to have it pay raised or give a discount to customer on the product they are producing which answer do you think they will give you? Giving a pay raise might be good for him but he will be bad for the company as a whole in the long turn( giving huge pay raise to executive is not better). That's why elite rule and masses are ruled.

[patnais102]

it's pay*

[patnais102]

Democracy is an utopia. To have a functioning democracy it mean that people have to be instructed. Being instructed mean that someone else is doing for you the basic work needed to live. If you ask the people working for the other what they want they will answer you they want to be at the place of the elite. Because that person only see the physical advantage ( when you are uneducated the material advantage are the only thing that matter) of the position in which the elite are.

[patnais102]

A good example of what I'm trying to explain are doctors. Where I'm from people always cry about doctor being overpaid. Most people I eared saying that were nurse assistants and salubrity workers. Those people are paid 18$ an hour and physically they probably work a little more than doctors but when the day is off they are done with their job. Doctors can be called at anytime of the day for their patients, they are stressed , they can be hold accountable if something goes wrong etc.

[patnais102]

If the hospital was led by participative democracy doctor would be paid less than nurse assistants and salubrity workers. There is probably 10 time more of them than any worker in an hospital. You could explain them whatever you want but I'm 100% sure that at the end of the day they would vote their self an higher salary than doctors.

[patnais102]

You can dream of utopia but as history tells us , it won't happen. You can have the best intentions with an Iron will , their will always be someone to twist your idea and take it to it's advantage. Globalization is the best example of a good idea twisted and used against the people it was suppose to help.

[patnais102]

it will be bad*

[patnais102]

I live in one of the most egalitarian system in the world (the french system) we have the biggest social net of all western society after France ( I live in the french province of Canada). I can tell you this system is a pure joke and it can not be sustain. Low income people get their basic need from the state and the waste generated by this system are just horrifying. The fiscal burden is on the middle class while the upper one find loophole and pay less taxes.

[patnais102]

I can give you many example if you want since almost all the women in my family work or used to work for the state (nurse , health professional , teacher etc) and the men have their business, I see the gap between the middle and upper class everyday. What is even more interesting is the lower class, if people like you could see what the lower class are doing in a ''more egalitarian society'' you would realize that it have nothing to do with bad luck if their life suck.

[patnais102]

I work in an in hospital , I see poor people everyday and they disgust me. They don't disgust me because they are poor , they disgust me because they live like king. They waste money like no one does in my family . They go to restaurant everyday , they buy the stuff they want when they want(Sales are for losers). No doubt those people are poor , you could give them all the assistance you want they would stay what they are: Stupid beast , raised to consume.

[patnais102]

They are poor because they want it. We have all kind of programs here where the government subsidize you to go to school , they lend money with no interest rate, they give grant & scholarship.We have the education system with the lowest cost per student in north america. I've seen people on those program being able to afford an oz of weed(150$) every week while they were complaining about not being able to pay their electricity bill. Being poor is not a state , it is a mentality, a way of life.

[patnais102]

private property is an illegitimate right, since it demands the possession of resources and industry by some and the exploitation of the rest

There was no private propriety in the middle age and in the soviet union , the same pattern came again and again. Don't try to find some word to cover up the flaw of your model, what's next? Money?

[patnais102]

to bring about a more humane and equal balance would indeed hinder our opulence, but not to the extent to which you imply: It already started without giving any concession to the people we exploit, so if we do what you are saying do you really think the elite will sacrifice their privileges? No they will sacrifices the masses, the only reason why we have this kind of life style is because our slaves are over sea if we lose them it will restart here.

[patnais102]

That's the part Chomsky & cie try to ignore. I like his facts but I don't buy the idealogical bullshit he is selling with it.

[regelemihai]

@mdoob11

He waged a wara against a group of equally as barbaric and terroristic individuals as the contras--if not more. Tell the whole story, don't be dishonest.

[mdoob11]

@regelemihai Let's be clear. The Contras were essentially a US paramilitary, terrorist army intended to undermine the Sandinista's "social and economic progress" (as reported by the World Bank and Oxfam). Unlike the Sandinistas, who enjoyed widespread political support as an indigenous political force, the Contras were sustained externally. It is in this context that the Sandinistas resorted to force, and no - it was certainly not even near the magnitude of that of the Contras.

[regelemihai]

" it was certainly not even near the magnitude of that of the Contras."

Thousands of people massacred, many more silenced and imprisoned, hoards of Miskito indians uprooted and banished, freedom of speech silenced (so much so that Isabella Chomoro, whose family has suffered under the Somoza family which was the employer of the Contras in the past, rose against them), and many such examples render your claims dubious, to say the least!

[mdoob11]

@regelemihai Terrorism against the Miskito indians wasn't any different than their treatment anywhere else, as admitted by one of their leaders, Armstrong Wiggins, who specifically mentioned Mexico, the US, and Chile. As for scale of magnitude, refer to human rights groups' reports as opposed to US propaganda: Americas Watch observed "the most serious abuses Miskitos' rights have been committed by the Contras" and that it was increasing while that of the government decreased.

[regelemihai]

" Terrorism against the Miskito indians wasn't any different than their treatment anywhere else"

Thousands upon thousands were banished, I think it's a bit of an understatement. Dismissing such a crime such callously kinda' exposes your bias.

Trusting so called "human rights" orgainzations blindly as oppsoed to sources that disagree with you isn't imprssive. Amestry International, UN hUman Right Council, and several other such faux human rights orgainzations who support despots, and...

[regelemihai]

...criticize almost solely democratic regimes, are by no means serious sources just because they're name suggest that. Sorry. I want statistics. Not something that appears on the "Essential Noam Chomsky Reader." And using Americas watch, or Human Rights Watch which have been shown to fall into the above group, isn't proving anything.

[mdoob11]

@regelemihai The point I'm trying to make is that the Sandinistas represented hope for the Nicaraguans, and were on the right path, as praised by the World Bank and Oxfam. They were not perfect - no government is - and they were actually quite tame in the region in terms of abuses, especially compared to US client states, ie el salvador and guatemala, where more severe indigenous human rights abuses were taking place. Simply put, there was no justification for the criminal US-Contra terrorism.

[mdoob11]

@regelemihai I don't mind bickering over facts where it's merited, but I see now reason to disqualify a source because it's a human rights group - the opposite seems the most likely, namely, that other sources such as political entities, ie US Gov, would have the bias, whereas human rights groups would have a more simple, obvious, mandate. If you would at least offer counter evidence, your argument might be taken seriously.

[regelemihai]

"whereas human rights groups would have a more simple, obvious, mandate"

Well, like I said, what the name implies isn't necessarily what it enforces. The Democratic People's Republic of NK isn't a republic, nor is it democratic. These human rights organizations are by no means objective. Their bias ha sbeen exposed in the past, and their current standing on issues just solidifies it. The UJN Human Right Council is just one example of many.

As for evdience, for example...(cont)

[regelemihai]

...independet reports from the time suggest that they rounded up hundreds of political dissidends and excuted them. Time magazine reported this, citing Nicaragua's Permanent Commission on Human Rights, taht also mentioned that hundreds of people were disappearing per month. The Inter American Comission on Human Rights echoes the same alligations.

Just to clarify, I didn't say that either side was perfect, nor did I negate the brutality of the Contras. my only beef with your disparaging...

[regelemihai]

..remark(the original one) was that you were all too eager to blame one side, without providing the context, and by leaving out the crimes of the political party that was indeed attacked by the US- backed contras. That's all.

[mdoob11]

@regelemihai I might add, there were recent slaughters of native Americans in guatemala and el salvador, both US client states, without a peep from the US media. As for repression of freedom of speech, the journal La Prensa to which you are most likely referring - again, let's be clear. It was supportive of the brutal Contras, and received financial support from the US. If a guerrilla army was terrorizing the US, I doubt a paper funded by those funding the guerrillas would be permissible.

[regelemihai]

"It was supportive of the brutal Contras, and received financial support from the US"

You compeltely glanced over that one inconvenient details about Chomorro's family strident opposition to the Somozas while they were still around. It's peculiar how they turned against the Sandinistas who were also their political opponents. It's not unusual for Communistic regimes to silence freedom of the press.

[ChickenhawkMaxBoot]

Whew! I look sexy here.

Like the military baseball caps collection behind me? After Pokemon things and nude photos of Anne Coulter, they are my favourite collectables. I may never have served in the military, but I can damn well make it look like I did with a cool hat.

Speaking of behinds, Kim Zigfeld may have a huge ass, but I think I'll be tapping that. She's been sending me raunchy fan mail again.

Kill the Rusians with Javelins! Kill all the people my family knew in Moscow!

[DjuroX3]

This scumb@g coward calls for nothing but war and more war for others to fight, but you don't see him sign on to fight himself. He is still eligible to enter the military too. He won't though. He is a flat out chickenhawk coaward. Don't call for something so vociferously your not willing to do your self Max-i-pad. Although I don't blame him for his cowardice. Look at him. The geek looks like he couldn't punch his way through a paper bag.

[regelemihai]

@DjuroX3

So unless he fightson the battlefield, he has no right or authority to discuss matters pertaining to foreign policy. Wow. And people actually agree with this sort of drivel, judging by the high marks your asinine comment received.

This is sad.

[TalksWithDirt]

I love it. He can't understand how Iraq can be such a failure when the Bush admin is made up of such, in his words, high caliber persons. Answer, maybe your base theorems are wrong. Maybe western democracy (which I'm a big fan of.) will not work in the mid-east on a short term. Maybe komrade Boot and his ilk should stop emulating Soviet foreign policy when it comes to use of force. It would be nice if he and his cabal would stop making the USA look like the USSR on the domestic front too.

[detectivesyme]

Max is the man

[JonesyJackson]

aaahhahaha i see this is a popular video

too bad the people who write his checks dont give a fuck about max boot either, the nazi