Dictator's Handbook

Crockett

Crockett

5,000+ Posts
I'm reading this book and it's having a profound influence on how is see the world.The Link It's depressing as all hell because it resonates with awful truth. Basically, democracy, dictatorship, kleptocracy or commuinist, governments are basically in the business of perpetuating government and those who through money, time, influence or connections can make things happen politically have power and must, truthfully, use that power to aid and enrich others with power.

Under influence of the book, I listened to a depressing NPR broadcast about Afghanistan. The author of the Forever War, Dexter Filkins, former New York Times guy now full time for the New Yorker reported on findings from a recent trip to Iraq. He said that Karzi and his buddies are getting rich from the US Military buildup and police, army suffer from lack of resources in no small part due to massive corruption. When the US military leaves, author predicts Karzi and his buddies with be jetting out about the same time to enjoy riches from secret accounts while living in nice homes they have built in Dubai, Europe and America.

What seems evil from the outside from the inside looks like just doing things the way they have to be done in fashion that is coldy rational and completely predictable.
 
Just like our "friends and allies" who ran South Viet Nam and stashed away American $$ that came in handy for them after they caught the last chopper out of Saigon.
 
The only real counter argument to that is if we aren't fighting or chasing terroists in Afghanistan, where will we be fighting them and chasing them down?

How much is it worth to keep the terroists locked away in a desolate part of the world? or penned in....
 
Filkins describes the US as really taking it to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
In the Dictator's handbook discussion of Pakistan and Egypt the author makes a point of how leaders there like it that the US and it's allies are not popular with the people. That gives them a great case for massive foreign aid, most of which ends up with the leaders and their close personal friends and supporters.
 
You can't argue against the waste and corruption but the flip side is if we are not there, where will those terrorists be and how much will that cost us?

Like Egypt, Libya and Syria, is it better what you know or what you don't know?
 
As a liberal, I guess I liked the idea that foreign aid goes to help poor folk.The Dictator's Handbook reports that often governments cynically let their people suffer to get more foreign aid, most of which they rip off.
I guess if we looked at the expenditures as "foreign policy investments" and dropped any feelings we are being kind and altruistic it would be more realistic. And certainly in less democratic countries our investment in people whose policies we know is likely to pay off for us, vs. the uncertainty of investing in democracy only to find out that the people don't share our views and interests.
 
Crockett:

The flip side of this quadruple sided coin is wait until you read the book about how much is wasted in country. Not just foreign aid but SS, Medicare, Medicaid, prescriptions, food stamps, you name the department there is fraud and thieves everywhere. Education is my favorite, how they are always crying about this and that but the cronyism in the purchasing systems of the biggest districts is an absolute racket.

Anyway, baby steps for you, don't want to throw to much at you on your day of enlightment!!!
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I notice you didn't include any DoD spending in your list.

You have no problem w/ overcharges, unwanted weapons systems purchased anyway, no-comp billion-dollar contracts, DoD contractor junkets / kickbacks, etc, etc?

Talk abt fraud and thieves..........
 
Oh I think my mortification with government is pretty broad spectrum. I just can't ***** about everything at once.

Our military is very expensive, but it's damned competent too.
 
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