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Charlie Kaften's avatar

The reason why the US only commits "mistakes" or "errors" but never war crimes is because, under the ideology of "American Exceptionalism," we are always virtuous, moral, and just. Therefore, if our wars, which are intended to "spread freedom and democracy," cause death and destruction, it is all for the greater good. And if the wars do not exactly go as planned, well it is only because mistakes and errors were made. This is the narrative always presented by the US political class. In short, unless and until the entire mindset and ideology of "American Exceptionalism" is excised from the US body politic, not a damn thing is ever going to change. The cause for all the endless/eternal wars, obscene military spending, war criminals never being prosecuted, the revolving door between the Pentagon and the weapons merchants, etc....all of these are symptoms. The cause is the ideology of "American Exceptionalism." Like all diseases, unless you eliminate the cause, the disease continues to fester and spread.

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John R Moffett's avatar

The US is constantly kicking hornet's nests wherever "we" want to make problems that need solving. I do not believe that the lack of reflection is a failure, it is purely intentional. War, for the War Dept., is just job security. It is a fundraising exercise. It is their path to glory. The only way to end it is for the public to complain. As long as most people remain silent, this will go on indefinitely.

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