By Tedi Elliott

I recently came across an interesting piece of writing. It’s not exactly a graphic novel, more graphic non-fiction. Not strictly a comic book but presented in that form, Addicted to War, by Joel Andreas is an entertaining and insightful depiction of war as anything but a glamorized exercise in patriotism. 

Published initially in 1991 after the first Gulf War, it was updated in 2002 following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the ensuing military operations in the Middle East .  It has been used as a textbook in high school and college history classes and translated into several different languages.  In the interest of getting the word out, the author and publisher have made the entire book available to read online and it can be purchased in bulk quantities at a good discount.  In light of recent headlines about how American public opinion was manipulated in the run-up to war with Iraq , Addicted to War provides chilling background information on the question “why?” 

Remember learning about the doctrine of “Manifest Destiny” in history class?  Me neither.  But now I know that manifest destiny was what the early Americans believed was the right of every nation, to determine for itself all matters pertaining thereto.  The only problem was, our forefathers got a little carried away…manifest destiny was such a great idea, they decided they’d apply it to every other sovereign nation as well!  Marching westward was first on the agenda, and the Native Americans were the first to suffer.  All sorts of racial theories cropped up to justify taking over lands and resources.  The manifest destiny bunch usurped vast lands belonging to Mexico , touting their birthright as part of the white race to spread ‘Anglo-Saxon democracy’ to the ends of the earth.  Wealthy southern slave owners and corporate bigwigs talked of high ideals but they really just wanted more land and more markets for their products. 

On through history, America continued treating the rest of the world as one big corporation to be over-taken.  The U.S. Marines were sent into Hawaii , Panama , Colombia , Cuba , China , Russia , North Africa , Central America and the Caribbean , in some cases multiple times, to establish a presence there.  And the businessmen followed:  bankers, oil companies, sugar refiners, copper miners, fruit growers ready to capitalize on new lands and new markets…usually with little regard for the lands or people invaded.  The government was always careful to publicly state that we were ‘making the world safe for democracy’, but private state department memos indicated that military and economic supremacy were the primary goals.   

Military actions in Korea , the Dominican Republic , Vietnam , Lebanon , Grenada and Libya were overt, and there were many instances in which the U.S. backed covert military operations as well.  Things got more and more complicated.  Back In 1979, the Soviets were attempting to take over Afghanistan .  The CIA backed the mujahadin guerrillas and collaborated with Saudi operative, Osama Bin Laden in opposing the Soviets.  Look how that turned out.  And once upon a time, circa 1963, a young leader in Iraq came to power with the assistance of the CIA  - his name was Saddam Hussein.  What a tangled web we weave… 

Author Andreas goes into painful detail on the war profiteers and how many of these old, established corporations (General Electric, for instance) also own major media outlets.  This gives them the perfect setup for selling to the American people the idea that any given war is necessary and just, while they reap the monetary benefits from waging war.  The high price of militarism is calculated in increased taxes, environmental degradation and poor social services…for which there is never any money…while trillions of dollars are always available for whatever the military needs or wants.  Education and health care go begging, but aircraft carriers are guaranteed.    

Things might be changing.  LBJ recognized that opposition to the Vietnam War, “The Vietnam Syndrome” could take down the government.  Practically the entire world opposed the invasion of Iraq .  This was so even with all the cheerleading by the U.S. media and by the military leaders positioned by the Pentagon to sell war with Iraq .  Even now, there are rumblings about military actions against Iran or Syria .  Addicted to War asks us to consider:  Who profits?  Who pays?  Who dies? Is the media truly objective? Those are legitimate and very patriotic questions and may help determine how much longer we all survive on the planet.  Instead of romanticizing militarism, it might be time for a more realistic look at the underlying motivations and horrible consequences of war. Read the book and pass it on. 

For more info, check out addictedtowar.com