I wanted to talk about something else instead, but this was in the news day after day, and I felt it worthwhile to address why the USA keeps making no progress despite its global military presence.

Here’s a timeline of US-Afghanistan events if you’re interested in catching up on all the juicy details.

And here’s a map:

$2 Trillion. That’s the total spent by the US military on the war in Afghanistan. That’s 7% of total US debt, and that’s only 1 war. The US is still officially at war with Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Somalia. And unofficially at many more places…

$300 Million. That’s the cost per day.

The war in Afghanistan started on 2001-10-07. It’s been nearly 21 full years of “war”. It’s been dragged out for infinitely long, and the reasons for staying are no longer clear.

Sure, maybe it had to do with hunting down Osama bin Laden, or countering Al Qaeda. But Osama bin Laden is dead, and nobody knows if Al Qaeda is actually still around or simply moved their personnel into other terrorist groups.

The USA has troops in over 40 countries across the world. There might be more that are classified.

Catastrophic examples in the past include:

And now… introducing the latest new addition…

Remember the Roman Empire in history class? They used to be a republic. Then they converted into a dictatorship because the republic was too slow.

But then the empire stretched itself too thin and barbarians took over.

Not saying that the USA is in danger of getting invaded by barbarians, but its resource allocation mirrors that of the past world superpower.

The USA is the global police. And nobody likes the police. War is the slowest form of diplomacy and should only be used as a last resort. Yet the USA has been involved with so many wars in its short lifespan as a country.

The way the USA conducts itself does not at all represent the rosy ideals of freedom and democracy that so many Americans get to experience. If you’re outside of America, the US constitution does not apply to you.

What can we do about it? Absolutely nothing. But having this awareness might make you appreciate life more.

Until next time.

Jerry