Pentagon study declares American empire is ‘collapsing’

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The original DoD document is very very frank, in terms of outlining US foreign policy objectives. Not many mentions of lofty liberal goals, only pure Macchiavellian imperium-building and realpolitik. Very interesting.

Good! All praise to our new corporate empires.

The countries rising are all capitalist though…

Where were you when the American Empire collapsed?

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Sucks, doesn't it?

So, a military budget larger than the several next combined and a military-industrial complex more massive than any other in the history of man are no longer enough and the latter requires even further "massive expansion"? Good fuckin' luck, bucko.

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My oh my.

"Hobbesian turmoil?"

Conscription soon Burgerfats

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And they've seen the end result of murica's "rise". Fortunately, most of those countries haven't lost their revolutionary potential like the US has. Interesting times are afoot.

Get a load of this faggot

You can thank this guy.

Robot army incoming

D A M A G E C O N T R O L

It begins

American space imperialism?

Where did it all go so wrong?

The report itself if anyone else is interested.

There will be fascist revolutions.

What did he mean by this?

lets not forget: this only happened because BO/Unruhe did such a good job shielding Assad from criticism.

Gorby and Deng were playing the long game: collapse the USSR so the US no longer has an ideological enemy to unite behind, China stops being socialist so it can survive this new world. The new Russia and China start subverting US hegemony as it slides into decadence. A multi-polar world is created where revolutions can happen when the next crisis of capital hits. 2008 happens, the lag time leads us to now.

youtube.com/watch?v=a53s4jyCqqU

I believe it's a term out of International Relations. It's referring to the worldview burgers subscribe to (also known as Realism), where it means states are always in a war of all against all and will always compete with each other. It kind of stands opposite against the various liberal schools, which state that cooperation between states is possible.

This is what happens when you take Holla Forums too seriously.
The growth of the far right is negligible and faltering already. The pose no legitimate threat and are little more than edgy right-wing liberals shilling for the status quo. Its downright silly to think they are a serious force.

They don't have an external enemy, that's why they're hyping Russia and China up. The media serves as a spectacle for private interests, and state propaganda.

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You could have said the same thing of the NSDAP before the 30's. Between the early 20's and 1930, they went from 32 seats to just 12. Then the crisis hit, and the rest is history. The fact that far right movements have been established and are now in possession of solid organization, think tanks, etc. in pretty much every country in the west bodes very ill for when another crisis hits and the left isn't ready to seize it.

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But this isn't the NSDAP we're looking at today. Its young republicans and a few edgy white supremacists at best. There is no reason to believe this is what capital will rely on to defend its interests. Fascism will only emerge when the left is a threat to capital, no earlier.
Their think tanks and 'populist' parties in europe are not at all a threat, their politics are liberal to the core, simply with an anti-immigrant sentiment and are purely a consequence of the refugee surge in the past three years.
Our focus ought to be on re-establishing the left as a militant and widely propagandised force of agitation for disaffection against capital but we shouldn't overstate the current state of the right as a threat of fascism. Out primary enemy remains liberalism and the political 'centre'.

Its easy to say this if your american but there is real patriotism in Europe that could lead to bloodshed.

Shitty comparison. The NSDAP had a paramilitary wing 10 times bigger than the army that oppressed and arrested most of their opposition

Checked

This analysis probably still holds for the industrial core nations, to be sure. There, the work should indeed be "re-establishing the left as a militant and widely propagandised force of agitation for disaffection against capital". But peripheral countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans for example are already past this point (Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine all having large (quasi) paramilitary far right groups operating openly). Just be sure to keep an eye on it.

Everybody rock the dinosaur.

oh fugg

Baruch HaShem!

It's funny, because their ideological straight jacket keeps then from understanding that the steps they take to maintain their empire change the fundamental social elements that made that empire possible in the first place, ensuring and possibly hastening its destruction.

The writer made mention of this too, how the DoD and higher ups are deluded beyond belief. America's leaders are insane.

I'm looking forward to when the us privatizes their nuclear program and get's bought by Coca Cola and google

This, I almost can't believe how easily the Americans gave up their hard industry in the 70's and 80's, without realizing that they were creating a class of permanently discontented unemployed people at home while also giving their enemies a free production base. Capitalists truly sell the rope with which they will be hung, even to other capitalists.

where were u when the collapse happened and we all got deathsquadded for posting on leftypol

really gets the noggin joggin

Unironically this

what did he mean by this?

He means he forgot his rose flag

They're going to try a massive proxy war first, though. The military industrial complex is always the last resort of the capitalist and the state to stabilize the system.

thanks

Rocco Botte?

You sure this isn't just a way for the Pentagon to try and spook Trump and Congress into pushing even more military spending?

Are we finally coming close, please tell me ill be able to see at least the sunrise of socialism. Are we entering the revolutionary era. Is this the dawn of capitalism.

If the Pentagon just wanted more military spending, all they'd have to do is ask.

I don't think so. I can definitely see a new and way more powerful kind of fascism rising in Europe - European nationalism. A European bourgeoisie is being created right now, an EU-set European culture is being pushed down the throats of gullible young students to create the European intelligentsia of the future. It's happening. The nationalist tendencies of old will remain irksome for the EU for a while, but will eventually falter, much like absolutism and ludditism faltered after the Industrial revolution.

What the fuck are you talking about? Most European government at this point are still firmly on the "neoliberalism, open borders and buttsex" bandwagon", the only two main exceptions being Poland and Hungary. Within the EU parliament, nationalists have a neglibible representation. A lot would have to change for Europe to go full nationalist.

Have you been under a rock for the past 500 years?

Yes.

This is what I wanted to hear.

If Communism occurs in the future, these are places I would predict it occur in.

Most of the third world, and in the West; Britain, Iceland, Greenland, Northern Canada and the Yukon

Why?

It's hardly populated, it's icecaps will melt, and it will demand severance with the Danish. Either that or a foreign party, be it American, Canadian, British, get there and establish themselves. It's so hardly populated and remote, that it becomes ideal.

There's little control over the island itself.

1492

Looking back at old newsnight videos, everyone thought labour was going to fall apart, wtf happened leftypol?

Flooding most of the newly revealed land. And the world.
After which it will become a US puppet, since they have military bases there and the country relies on foreign aid
What does this even mean? Will the USSA colonise Greenland right after the revolution?

No, but a large commune might in the coming decades.

Europeans

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And the remaining Capitalist states won't?

America doesn't even pretend to be a beacon of freedom any more does it? It literally and overtly exports tyranny.

This but unironically.
We should be prepared with countermeasures against drones and shit. The next major war will be a nasty, nasty one…

did those shanty apartment building fires cause that much of a riot?

Is this edgy art or did the Coca-Cola corp have a deal with the Nazis like IBM did?

That's where Fanta comes from.

Jesus christ
Better start organizing buckos

it's real

what's happening in britain mate?
has it really got through over 9000 layers of classcuckery in 2 months?

Marginally related:

WE'RE BACK BABY

Just remember what happens at the end of every empire: the state takes the tools it used abroad and directs them inward against its populace.

no
this is weak analysis
Labour's current electorate is the very poorest and the very richest. The people who are 'barely managing' are the most Tory part of the electorate, gripped by fear and shame and thus in the process of sliding further to the right. A lot has to change in this group for there to be a truly broad-based working-class movement.
But as long as it is still Tories at the helm when the economic contraction caused by Brexit will really bite there is potential for a strong left labour surge.

1917
2017
First as tragedy
Then as farce
Buckle up buckaroos cuz
We're coming, buckos.

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Loads of corporations had deals with the Nazis. The German economy started booming and they wanted to take advantage of the market. People don't really think about it now, but it wasn't until images of the concentration camps came back that people really "got" what was going on in Germany. The Third Reich was thought of as just another country albeit one that was misbehaving.

LETS GO LADS

TBH I'm pretty scared comrades. Will the left be organized enough to avoid chaos when the next economic shit hits the proverbial fan?

Holy shit

nice digits

Right as the Situationist International disintegrated too

~~>>>Holla Forums/
>>>Holla Forums

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>>>/bwithvideogames/

The hilarious thing their procurement process is so corrupt it's a major reason why they he US Military is losing its supremacy.
They could achieve a "massive expansion" if they simply forced military contractors to produce the weapons systems they promised, preferably at the end of a gun barrel.

The 70s were fucking awesome.
Seriously, you can almost see why history ended when you look at just how many events occurred. Like oil, it would make total sense to imagine that we just used up too much stuff in too short a period and had to scale back usage abruptly.

It's just weird how all the malaise of the 1970s feels real, while there's a gloss of unreality to our own current malaise. Maybe reality will soon punch back through. Recognizable cultural declinism is in itself a goal worth fighting for. (I mean at the very least maybe we'll get some good tacky disaster movies.)

I'd he…dare I say it…our guy?

Zizek was right again

This analysis may sound nice but its flat out false. There is no particular trend in regards to income in the vote share of Labour and Tories, certainly not in the snap election.
The main divisions we are seeing are by employment (with students and workers supporting labour and the retired supporting the tories), age (with under 50s supporting labour and the over 50s supporting the tories) and education with the less formally educated more likely to vote tory.

fug forgot to post the survey data

Huh, how come the analysis I read was about Labour needing to perform in the C2 group? Perhaps it was about labour needing gains in the C2 group to win an election rather than the actual composition of the electorate. Thanks for the correction.
The generational composition reflects a positive trend, even if people tend to flow towards Tories as they grow older.

lol?

people were pushing this bullshit 5 years ago. it's not going to happen.

It is as inevitable as the end of capitalism. The only question is when.

There will be no "peak oil", it will just gradually become more expensive while countries slowly switch to alternatives.

Eurofags are cucked harder than Burgers

Nobody in the developed world is capable of a large scale rising up at the moment we're just too materially comfortable.

This is a process made much less likely by the financialisation of the oil industry.
Oil prices are based as much on gambling, paranoia and wishful thinking as they are on the quantity of oil and the cost of extracting it.

…In what world? At least in Europe people have revolutionary potential still. They're more organized with their protesting, etc, as well.

You don't live in the US, do you? We don't even have proper access to healthcare.

You did not read my post correctly. I meant nationalism FOR Europe, not nationalism IN Europe. And I meant a bourgeoisie and intellegentsia dedicated to THAT ideal, not just the national ideal.

what a time to be alive
pic absolutely related

What does this even mean man

it means that tankies are going to lose their muh anti-imperialism argument soon as the US grows ever more irrelevant and unhinged on the world stage and have to read actual theory

But op didn't even mention tankies

He wanted to post his facebook mem

Wait, what was the tragedy the first time around?

It ended I guess.

youtube.com/watch?v=S-XEINagmaU

How ill-defined has the term "revolutionary potential" become?

Look at his flag.

Wait, people here doubted Trump would cause USA to collapse?

I said organized groups, not any specific ideology.
google bookchin tbh :^^^^🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧)

Imperialism will still exist. However once America is diminished we will finally be able to build actual socialism since the bourgeoisie will no longer be able to all gather behind America and instead will be scattered across the globe and forced to fight it out with eachother for their precious profits.

Anarcho-liberals and socdems did.

They'll just turn to more fascistic or authoritarian capitalist systems like china.Before you sperg out, no I'm not saying that china is fascist

Noam Chomsky just doesn't want to live in the ever more dystopian US that will emerge from the collapse of it's influence. I can't say I necessarily blame him, since it's always the old, sick and young that suffer the most in tumultuous times

I'm okay with the old suffering, though.

READ LENIN

Farewell, farewell!

What about Rojava? What will happen to them?

That doesn't solve their fundamental problem.

Fascistic and authoritarian systems require an enemy to function. Jingoism is a necessity of any modern authoritarian state. Conflict between the bourgeoisie is inevitable.

In addition, it's worth noting that authoritarian systems don't necessarily mean orderly societies. In fact, it usually betrays an inner turmoil and conflict that the authoritarian system is attempting to keep a lid on.

The point is that the United States isn't the only imperialist power and this will become increasingly clear once it loses global hegemony. Tankies are going to have egg all over their faces when Russia, China et al start colonizing and subjugating countries free from American influence.

Did any of you go through the article? It's worrying how the Pentagon wants to go full fascist to prevent the US from falling.

We don't seem worried because none of us expected anything less.

Who cares? Fascism can't save the American empire, which is built mostly on soft power which can never be restored (at least without an extremely destructive war.)

HAPPENING
HAPPENING
HAPPENING
HAPPENING
HAPPENING

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Yeah conflict is inevitable, but that doesn't mean that the leftist elements of these countries wouldn't be purged enmass.

Stop it.

They can try.

War, social conflict and ecological catastrophe will render most of these governments shaky and weak. The Tzar, Chiang Kai-shek and Batista were also pretty authoritarian and tried to purge lefties.

Dude, the fucking Pentagon said that the American empire was collapsing.

READ THIS
marxists.org/archive/trotsky/works/1944/1944-fas.htm

You know sometimes people in power sometimes get scared and overexaggerate the danger, right? Henry Kissinger said in the 70s: "The day of the US is past and today is the day of the Soviet Union" Look how that turned out? A decade later they collapsed but it could've easily been said to someone critical of Kissinger's view

Read the post again. I don't think the US is invincible but I think there are solid economic reasons why the US will not lose its position as the primary super-power under world capitalism. The "dictator" of world capitalism as Sam Williams rather succinctly put it.

You're right that the United States probably isn't going to become irrelevant anytime soon, but that's not what's being claimed here. The claim is that it's losing global hegemony.

Pentagon is exaggerating in order to get more funding.But they are right that the unipolar world is ending.

the material conditions for the masses stagnated or declined in spite of what they were told was happening/would happen by those pushing the austerity meme, I guess?

The capitalist system has always been led by a dominant power, the US is declining in relative terms, but it has been declining in relative terms since 1945 tbf. There was no way that the US position after WWII where it had 40% of the world's industrial base and produced over half of the world's industrial goods could possibly be sustained. The end of the gold-backed dollar was a major blow but one that was counter-acted by other forces working in America's favor.

The big geopolitical story is that we're moving from a "unipolar" world where US power was absolutely unchallenged which only lasted twenty years to a world where the US has to share more with the other powers, maybe even divide the world up between it and the "other super-power" (China).

Which was exactly the situation America was in for most of the Cold War and after that in the late 80s and early 90s it was predicted with absolute confidence that Japan would exceed America as the world's largest economy in 2000. It didn't happen.

The strengthening of the Chinese-Russian position assumes vis-a-vis the US implies that everything will keep going "well" for them and that they wont experience any major problems of their own. The EU, being perhaps the most credible challenge to US hegemony from an economic perspective, is in immense political and economic crisis, struggles to field its own military and is often quite subservient to the US agenda and fails to set its own in either foreign policy and geopolitics. And now its second largest economy with the world's largest financial center has voted to leave the EU.

The American Empire is in crisis but the truth is that world capitalism is in crisis and that despite America's many problems and crises, a suitable replacement for its position as "dictator of world capitalism" has not been found. Typically world capitalism has always needed a hegemonic power as Minqi-Li and Aright point out. Sometimes the change-over is gradual but usually world-wars are required to replace them.

This.

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is this a historical trend? I know there's the meme that says you get more "conservative"/vote more right wing as you get older, but is that actually the case universally or is there something peculiar about the boomers and their historical experience that drives it?

it's just one of things that seems to have legs in cultural consciousness but I've never really thought about beyond accepting it like a folk tale.

It's less about people becoming more conservative and more about young people being even more progressive, which sets the center more to the left, which makes the old people seem conservative

Did you actually live through it? Also, where the fuck is our BPP, SDS, and Weather Underground? First as a tragedy, then as a farce?

You just described peak oil tho.

shit, maybe it's just me having grown up among a bunch of politicised poors and old union men but whenever I'm at a family BBQ where all the old mates are there too and they start talking politics, all I hear about "young people" is about how we're all too timid, too in love with our bosses and too caught up in trivial shit politically to really do anything about the fact that we're being fucked harder then their generation ever was. These are mostly people who came of age in the golden era of the welfare state and were part of a powerful labour movement though, and I guess the world really has changed.

I don't think it is insightful. It uses a lot of buzzwords and never gives concrete examples. But maybe that's the point.
I'm curious why the military doesn't tackle other problems but I've only read two more of their rapports so that's kind of stupid now that I think of it.

Based on my limited understanding of complex systems (science) I would say that the future is a big unknown. Our world is too complex. The rapport mentioned hyperconnectivity and as I remember that IS a vulnerability of networks.

Even though the world is too complex to know what certain actions will cause, we can know a bit about the GENERAL behaviour of complex systems like the connectivity stuff. People such as Yaneer Bar-Yam and Stuart Kauffman tackle this.

I think for you people might be interested in historian Peter Turchin. It seems odd that I mention him because he claims that he CAN forecast the future. Though he also admits that complexity makes this difficult. But I think he makes a claim about the general behaviour of systems which I think is possible. He uses a model, as well as data, and I think that is more useful because no mortal can use historical analysis to deduce what the future will hold.

So I finish this post with what I said earlier: I think the future is a big unknown. However I see other problems and those have to do with food security, resource depletion, the interaction between climate change and food security, the interaction between depleted soil and food security and energy.

I think the above reduce, to use a buzzword, the resilience of nations and impose chronic stressors on them, and that could escalate. That is what I speculate, and there are other factors, I think increasing technological innovation could interact with our complex systems in ways we cannot predict and perhaps make them unstable. I can speculate but the future is a big unknown.

Good documentary. Must rewatch it sometime.
Although the first time I watched it, it threw me headlong into depression again so maybe that's not the greatest idea. The whole bit with the bankruptcy of NYC, watching that sort of order collapse was very upsetting. (Though the Russian woman who has no dreams anymore felt very relatable at the time.)

(Alas?) no (I'm not even really particularly a "70s historian" despite my posturing, it's just a lot of other stuff I like happens to fall in that decade.) but I'm living through a worse decade for pay and jobs despite lower inflation and driven mad by the fact we don't seem to even recognize crisis or decline.
Family always seem surprisingly positive about the time, but that could just be nostalgia.

There will be no recovery, this time.

Global warming is happening first.
Victory by default, porky!

Eh, the big one will be the rate of profit reaching zero, and we're still 100-150 years from that.

what

double what

what cubed

Unemployed = Unemployed and actively seeking work
Not working = Unemployed and not actively seeking work cos there ain't any.

Or similar. One of the tricks they can use to get the numbers of unemployed down - simply make people give up.

such as?

read this

theintercept.com/2017/07/22/donald-trump-and-the-coming-fall-of-american-empire/