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NOVEMBER 2024

Why Russia, Which Spends One-Twentieth What America Does On Military, Is Militarily More Successful Than America

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Why Russia, Which Spends One-Twentieth What America Does On Military, Is Militarily More Successful Than America

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Written by Eric Zuesse

Whereas in America (which makes and sells half of all of the world’s war-weapons), the manufacturers of war-weaponry are privately owned and succeed only by enriching their investors, Russia’s manufacturers of war-weapons are majority-owned by the Government and succeed only by winning Russia’s wars — serving the Government, which controls these companies, instead of serving private investors, who control the Government itself by lobbying and political donations. In America, the arms-manufacturers control the Government in order to control their markets, which are their own Government and secondarily its ‘allied’ or vassal-Governments (which also buy their products). Russia never privatized its war-industries; so, they serve the Government — the public, not investors (who, in turn, control the Government in order to be able to control those corporations).

Ever since America’s failed war against Vietnam, the U.S. Government has been accustomed to military failure. That war began in 1954 when President Eisenhower “sent 700 military advisers to South Vietnam” without seeking congressional approval, and in violation of the U.S. Constitutional requirement for there to be no U.S. standing army and thus explicitly that only after a congressional declaration of war can a President send any U.S. forces to any foreign country. Ike relied upon his immediate predecessor President Truman’s precedent of having done the same thing (violated the Constitution) by sending a force for “police action” (lying that it wasn’t military) to start his war to conquer Korea by enforcing Truman’s General Order #1, on 17 August 1945, to stop North Korea’s forces from advancing into South Korea. Ike then hid from JFK this and other traps that were awaiting him in Vietnam, and in Cuba. According to JFK’s description of his 19 January 1960 meeting with Ike prior to assuming office, JFK said, regarding Vietnam, “Eisenhower never mentioned it, never uttered the word Vietnam.” Ike never mentioned the 700 troops in Vietnam, but JFK found that he had inherited that. So, “In May 1961, Kennedy sent 500 more American advisers to Vietnam” — he just continued Ike’s unConstitutional policy there; it was the path of least resistance. Soon, however, he learned that it was a dreadful mistake, and that Ike had silently left minefields for him and had aimed to get his successors blamed for Ike’s disastrous decisions (which Kennedy learned too late). “By early November 1963, the number of US military advisers had reached 16,000”, but Kennedy already knew that he was trapped and would be attacked especially by Republicans if he changed course. He was just learning the ropes, and starting to think about how to change course, when he got assassinated (and his V.P. Johnson continued those errors).

That war ended in a U.S. defeat when President Ford withdrew the last U.S. troops from Vietnam by helicopters on 30 April 1975. (He, of course, failed to win election. His successor, Carter, then failed to win re-election, due to Ike’s having stolen Iran in 1953 and Carter’s suffering the resultant Iranian anti-American fervor in 1979, which doomed his campaign and brought in President Reagan.)

Afterward, the only successful U.S. wars were two very limited ones, both waged by President GHW Bush: one to seize and capture Panama’s leader and drug-trafficker Manuel Noriega on 3 January 1990; the other to expel Iraq’s forces from Kuwait during 24-28 February 1991.

America’s other wars were failures, or, at best, partial failures: Grenada in October 1983, Beirut in 1983-4, Libya in 1986 and again in 2011, Somalia 1992-95, Haiti 1994-5, Yugoslavia 1995-2000, Afghanistan 2001-2021, Philippines 2002-2017, Iraq 2003-22, Libya 2011-2022, Syria 2012-2022, and Ukraine (coup) 2014-2022. (They all were successes for America’s arms-makers, however.) None of America’s invasions after WW II was justified, nor was any of them in accord with America’s Constitution. All of them were done in order to use, test-out, and to wear-out and replace, U.S. weapons, so as to increase sales-volumes and enrich political donors, who got the congresspeople elected that they wanted elected, to vote for these invasions and for the military appropriations. The system succeeded at what it was designed to do: produce profits for those American international corporations, whose owners control the U.S. Government.

And then there are the U.S. regime’s many other undeclared wars, which are partnerships with U.S.-allied regimes in which America supplies only the weaponry and training but no direct fighters, such as in America’s partnership with the Sauds to grab control over Yemen — causing mass starvation in Yemen. (It burns up lots of U.S. weapons, thus likewise pumping U.S. weapons-sales and profits.)

Russia has been spending $70 billion annually on its entire military; America has been spending (not just in its ‘Defense’ Department but in all Departments) around $1.5 trillion per year, for its military.

In crucial military technologies, Russia is the world’s leader. For example, on December 23rd, South Front headlined “KINZHAL HYPERSONIC MISSILE PROVED TO BE UNSTOPPABLE IN UKRAINE: RUSSIAN MILITARY CHIEF”, and it’s no mere brag by Russia; it is true. (Such missiles would be unstoppably in any nation.) Furthermore, on November 14th, I headlined “U.S. GAO Finds Failure Is the Norm in U.S. Military Aircrafts”. That’s what happens when the military manufacturers serve their investors instead of the public. On June 17th, U.S. military expert Alex Vershinin headlined at the UK’s Royal United Services Institute, “The Return of Industrial Warfare”, about how inferior America is militarily as compared to Russia, and he argued — without mentioning or even showing any awareness of it — that America’s replacing industrialization (the manufacturing economy) with financialization (the financial-services economy) had done this (hollowed-out America’s military). I would argue more specifically that the resultant intense corruptness in America’s military has done this. The U.S. ‘Defense’ Department is the ONLY federal Department that can’t be audited. Its opportunities for graft are unlimited (or else are limited only by the value of the dollar, which would mean that the dollar’s international value is bound to crash and collapse some day, as having been the ultimate Ponzi scheme). In fact, trillions of dollars in spending by the Pentagon simply cannot be traced. Nobody knows, or can find out, where it went.

Another reason why Russia gets far higher bang for each military buck spent is that whereas America’s military is designed to expand the American empire throughout the world, Russia’s is designed to protect the nation’s sovereign independence and to ward-off America’s constant (ever since 1945) aim to turn Russia into yet another U.S. ‘ally’ (vassal-nation). Whereas America’s billionaires drive America’s military for increasing their empire, the Russian population drive Russia’s military for the nation’s protection and very survival.

There is no evidence — none — that Russia, spending $70 billion annually on its military, is militarily inferior to America, which spends $1.5 trillion per year on its military.

In a country that spends 20 times more for its military but gets military inferiority instead of military superiority, deceiving the public is essential (in order to function as being a ‘democracy’, which the U.S. Government needs in order to be able to call any country it aims to take over — or regime-change — a “dictatorship”). And that is the way it is done, and has been done, for decades, now. So, the military has been, at least since 2001, the highest-respected institution of all, by the American people. The trick has been very successful.

Investigative historian Eric Zuesse’s new book, AMERICA’S EMPIRE OF EVIL: Hitler’s Posthumous Victory, and Why the Social Sciences Need to Change, is about how America took over the world after World War II in order to enslave it to U.S.-and-allied billionaires. Their cartels extract the world’s wealth by control of not only their ‘news’ media but the social ‘sciences’ — duping the public.

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nobody

“MORE SUCCESSFUL” lets go back to history when stuff was intresting: – war of attrition in egypt against israel = lost – Soviet–Afghan War = after 10 years of loosing assests and mens, lost – Georgian Civil, South Ossetian, Transnistria War = “won” – First Chechen War = lost – Second Chechen War = “won” (had to pay kadyrov billions to keep muslims quiet) – Russo-Georgian War = of course won – Russo-Ukrainian War = no results after almost a year of thousands of lost equipment and who knows how many useless lives, with RF army forced to retreat from multiple fronts because U.S. sent a fraction of their arsenal.

Be honest with your propaganda, russia isn’t at all a succesfull and winning country.

Probably the comment is going to be deleted, but i’m making a screenshoot for history to come

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The Objective

I agree with you man. Some of these titles are shocking to read. The U.S has managed to impose the dollar on the world with its military, overthrown many leaders, and is now preventing a Russian victory in Ukraine. Yet, this author thinks Russia is militarily more successful. Ukraine is an embarrassment for Russia. The longer this war lasts, the more embarrassed Putin would be. It’s all the Russians could do to prevent total defeat in Ukraine. America tends to caliberate its support for Ukraine with Russia’s escalation. If Putin throws in the 300 thousand Russian soldiers mobilized a few months ago, I’m sure America will supply weapons to Ukraine that will sharply increase Russian casualties. Zelensky is refusing to negotiate, sensing that Putin is eager to end the war. I think Russia walked into a major trap in Ukraine and Zelensky will get all the weapons and mercenaries he needs to fight for many years.

nobody

exactly, the us defense industry produce so many weapons they can fuel the ukranian war as much as they want. And the fun part is US & NATO are not even involved directly, russia is going for the year long war while deteriorating its economy and life condition in the country, as every dictatorship they dont give a fuck about population, they just use them for their ambitions and goals. And who’s talking is someone who used to call russia a second home.

i don’t get what is the point of being so one-sided either with ukranians or russians, just be objective and honest, report the shit as its happening and stop spreading stupid propaganda nobody actually believes in lol

JJ345

I love comments like these.

1. “More successful” when comparing the cost of spending during a war.

2. Middle East – Soviet Union supported Arab countries.

3. Soviet–Afghan – yeah care to explain why they withdraw from Afghanistan again? Surely it got nothing to do with what was happening in Soviet Union at that time.

4. “Russo-Ukrainian War” I’m guessing you are talking about the 2014 colour revolution in Ukraine? Good job over looking everything that really matter at the time. Sanctions on Russia hurt Russian companies back in 2014 (unlike now) – unrest/riots in Ukraine _ The orange revolution/Maidan Revolution – and the fuking main reason the collapse of Ukraine government.

Now let’s compare why don’t we? I’m not going to mention all the smaller lost wars the US had.

Korean War – lost, Bay Of Pigs Invasion – lost, Vietnam War – lost (10,000 aircraft and helicopters destroyed alone thanks to Soviet air defence system), Afghanistan 20 years (Over $2 Trillion spend) lost over night and handed the whole country to the Taliban – The US had to ask their enemy for protection against other smaller terrorist groups and end up at the end killing children, Lebanon – lost, Iraq – lost, Libya – lost, Syria – lost. And here we are seeing everything the US doing in Ukraine and they are still losing. Bla bla bla.

Also, wtf do you mean by “making a screenshoot for history to come”?

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JJ345

The main thing that I care – overall support by outside. In no fuking world anyone in their right mind would support the US wars.

Afghanistan – Yeah Bin Laden was behind 9/11 and just because the Taliban asked for proofs they got invaded. Also, they had to hide or kill Bin Laden to cover up their work.

Iraq – WMDs is in Biden asshole BTW – Also, someone changed Israel supporting terrorists to Iraq.

Syria – “Assad most go” We gonna see Biden gone and so many others before anything happens to Assad.

Libya – You can’t play their games.

Ukraine – Supporting Neo-Nazis is good. Matter of fact, it doesn’t matter all which side the US support as long as they follow and sell the whole country to the US at the end. Not only Ukrainians pay with their lives but after the war the US going to send all their companies to take over in Ukraine.

How many time the US used “they don’t let us leech of them so we should kill them all”? Just to end up stealing at the end.

The Objective

You are just a clueless, amateur analyst. Putin is looking for a way out of this massive trap called Ukraine and you guys are here dreaming about Russia’s military successes.

The Objective

America lost wars, but it’s much smarter than Russia. The soviet fate might well befall Russia in the near future, especially with this major blunder into a NATO tripwier called Ukraine.

Medved

NATO/EU have tripped on their own wires.

JJ345

Both parties in the US are the fuking same, and they all bought by big companies/lobbies.

Tell me, why the President of the US must give a speech at AIPAC (Zionist lobby – seeking to influence the United States government to better serve Israel’s interests)? Trump and Biden both HAD to give a speech at AIPAC. There are 7 million Jews in the US only. Yet, I see people saying they don’t see the leech on the US.

Soros, weapon companies, outside lobbies and etc, pay parties in the US. Don’t you see the problem here, guess why these groups fund the US parties? yeah… and the best part yanquis can’t do anything about it – yanquis are rtded slaves.

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The Objective

Enough of these boring political talks. Thesaker.is is a better website for your comments. They’ve run out of propaganda ideas cos Russia is so obviously taking it ass in Ukraine that no propaganda can construct even an illusion of victory.

Cop

So we won. Not yet? WTF are we waiting for?

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Medved

Waiting for it to get colder so the stench of 35,000+ abandoned Ukro corpses goes down.

HuckleberryFinn

Thx for the good laughs, Zuesse 😆😆😆

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Wayne Gabler

At what point do people who write articles like this begin to promote the US is a hired gun? Hired by the EU World Bank in Brussels. It is the combined power of all 30 members that is out to destroy Russia. Why pin the blame on the US, that would just allow Brussels to carry on with their terrorist ways? Like Operation:Cyclone. The US lost WWII if keeping Nazis out of power was part of the goal. Operation:Paperclip and Operation:Matchbox is how Nazis escaped Europe and were put into positions of power in North America and Australia.

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Medved

The Satanists wore the Nazi costume for a time. They go well beyond geographical borders. WWII was a western intramural sporting event, shirts vs skins.

snowleopard

I have to wonder where all this “missing” defense money is going.

Sure, likely some percentage is stolen and/or payoffs. But hundreds of billions of acknowledged funds missing every year?? Not to mention the unacknowledged billions from the USA managed world drug trade and those occasional billions directly stolen (Libya, Iraq, Syria etc) and also not accounted for.

Likely some of this money supports and expands the “secret” USA underground base and shelter network, but what of the rest of it?? There is enough to do almost anything. Is it possible USA has several ongoing multi-billion dollar “defense” projects that have been successfully kept totally secret??

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spock

read this book Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=130AEF1531746AAD6AC03EF59F91E1A1

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