Protecting Ourselves Against Ourselves

THE INTERESTING THING about germany is that, although it is an extremely peaceful country, it is in the top five, globally, in selling weapons to other countries, right up there with the russians, the americans, the chinese, and the french. The united states is far ahead of everyone else, though, so, don't worry, my fellow americans: we're number one! (at least in something).

All of these weapons being manufactured and sold by the world's great military powers are sold to far less wealthy, powerful nations, and the justification is always "security" or "peace". We know better than that, don't we? How about profit and emperialism? One's weapons industry can only profit with sales to customers, after all.

the german people did not enjoy world wars one or two anymore than anyone else, and we americans certainly know how can happen when a coubtry choses the wrong government, and thingts get, shall we say, "out of hand". Every country on earth has had that experience.

Since world war, even the very mention of sending german military out of the country to participate in diplomacy by other means, along with the rest of us, has met with great resistance in germany. The germans just haven't wanted any partof it, much to their credit.

Meanwhile, the united states, bankrupt, needs to relenquish her position as the world's policeman, and hand that job over to the united nations, correct? Also, the success of contemporary germany, technologically, economically, would seem to call for greater german participation in military affairs abroad, in carefully considered ways.

The wars in iraq and afghanistan, while too healviy dominated by the united states, perhaps, were at least examples of how large numbers of countries can act in unison to provide necessary corrective measures in various parts of the world.

The era of nations competing for military, economic, and political supremacy must end, lest the conflict it engenders destroy us all. Perhaps within the foreseeable future the oceans will be home to united nations fleets, the skies will be safeguared by the united nations air force, and every nation on earth will contribute to a united nations armed  force, protecting all humanity, jointly, against ourselves...