Why has America spent 93 percent of its history at war?
Hassan Shokohi Nasab: When words like “interventionism,” “militarism,” “tension,” “occupation,” “war,” and “warmongering” come to mind, the name of the United States immediately comes to mind; a country that has deployed many military bases and forces even in the most remote parts of the world, including West Asia, which is thousands of kilometers away from this country.
A few days ago, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, called the United States a “war-addicted” country and stated that “the war-addicted United States has become the greatest destroyer of international order and the greatest threat to world security.”
The Chinese Ministry of Defense spokesman went on to point to examples of the United States’ wars and illegal military activities in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, which have led to severe casualties against civilians and terrible human tragedies. He also addressed the issue of Taiwan and warned that attempts to separate the island from the motherland would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
History of American Interventionism and Foreign Wars
America has been continuously involved in foreign conflicts and wars. These interventions have taken place for various political, economic, ideological, and security reasons, some of which are mentioned below;
1. Early Periods: 18th and 19th Centuries
In the early period, America focused more on expanding its territory and securing its borders.
American War of Independence (1775-1783): A war to free itself from British colonialism and establish an independent country.
War of 1812 with Britain: An attempt to protect trade and territorial interests
Mexican-American War (1846-1848): A war to seize lands such as California and Texas, which ultimately led to the expansion of the American frontier
Indian Massacre (1811-1890): A series of conflicts for control of Native American lands
2. Entering the international scene: 20th century
In the 20th century, the United States transformed from a regional power to a major player on the international stage.
World War I (1917-1918): The United States entered the war in 1917, which claimed more than 10 million lives and affected almost the entire world. After the war, the United States emerged as an emerging global power.
World War II (1941-1945): During World War II, the United States committed the greatest crime in history by dropping atomic bombs on two major Japanese cities (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and became the only country in the world to use nuclear weapons against innocent people. This war was a turning point that transformed the United States into a military and economic superpower.
Cold War (1947-1991): During this period, the United States engaged in ideological and geopolitical competition with the Soviet Union; when there was fear of a repeat of wars like World Wars I and II.
Military interventions during this period in East Asia included the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1955-1975). In West Asia, the 1953 Iranian coup took place to remove the Mossadegh government to protect American and British oil interests, as well as the Persian Gulf War (1991) to defend Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion.
3. 21st Century: War on Terrorism
In this century, the United States has intensified its war-mongering policies more than ever. After the September 11 attacks, the United States occupied the country under the pretext of the “war on terrorism” and with the slogan of overthrowing the Taliban and fighting al-Qaeda, but after two decades in 2021, it handed over the country to the Taliban with a host of problems and fled.
Two years after occupying Afghanistan, the United States launched the Iraq War (2003-2011) under the pretext of possessing weapons of mass destruction and occupied the country. Only a few years after leaving Iraq, it once again targeted this war-torn country under the pretext of the presence of ISIS and deployed forces there to closely manage its escalating policies in the region. Despite the destruction of ISIS in Iraq, there are still military bases and several thousand American troops in the country.
The attack on Libya (2011) to intervene in the country’s civil war to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi, drone attacks in Yemen, as well as Pakistan and Somalia under the pretext of combating terrorist groups, have been other US interventionist measures.
Another important crisis that is tied to the US and NATO’s warmongering and interventionism is the nearly three-year-old crisis in Ukraine; a war that the US launched to weaken Russia as its biggest rival and for which it spent a lot of money. A few days ago, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that the total US and European aid to Ukraine is about $300 billion.
The greatest crime of the US and its allies in the modern century is tied to the genocide in Gaza and full-fledged support for the Zionist regime; a war that has so far resulted in the martyrdom of more than 45,000 martyrs, most of whom are innocent women and children. This unquestioning support of the US for the Zionist regime increased the scope of tensions in the region. Other resistance fronts such as Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, etc. also entered the fray in support of Gaza, putting the Western-Hebrew axis under double pressure. Tel Aviv’s acceptance of the ceasefire with Hezbollah can be evaluated.