Absolutely. Never forget the staggering human and material cost of Pax Americana. Just because the architects of empire were articulate, spoke English, and upheld democracy (or did pre-Trump) at home does not negate the fact that they could be as ruthless as any other empire to those who resisted their embrace. To the foreigner who resisted, this era has been as devastating as any imperial expansion in history. When we look at the raw data of the post-WWII era, the "peace" looks more like a global graveyard.We cannot allow the "civilized" veneer of the American domestic life to blind us to its external footprint. An empire that upholds the law at home while dismantling it abroad is still an empire. Whether through direct intervention, proxy wars, or economic sanctions, the "material cost" of this era is a debt of blood and treasure that the world is still paying. The Cold War Era: Between the Korean War (3–4 million dead) and the Vietnam War (1.3–3.8 million dead), the "containment" of communism cost millions of lives in Southeast Asia alone. The Post-9/11 Era: Research from the Costs of War Project estimate that the "War on Terror" has resulted in approximately 4.5 to 4.7 million deaths. Direct vs. Indirect: While nearly a million died from direct violence (bombs and bullets), over 3.5 million died from the "echoes" of war the destruction of power grids, hospitals, and water systems leading to famine and disease.The scale of the wreckage isn't just measured in graves, but in the 38 million people displaced by post-9/11 conflicts a refugee crisis unmatched since the Second World War. So yeah Iran is a terrorist regime but hasn't a the tiniest of patches on the USA. This is evil - clever, refined but the greedy iron fist of hegemeonic power gorging at the global trough of power. Regarding the illegal bombing of Cambodia (which killed hundreds of thousands of civilians), Kissinger gave this order to Alexander Haig: "It's an order, it's to be done. Anything that flies, on anything that moves. You got that?" "I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves." — Henry Kissinger, June 27, 1970 We should bomb them just for fun - Trump LAST WEEK
