There is a new normal in America: our government may shut down, but our wars continue. Congress may not be able to pass a budget, but the U.S. military can still launch commando raids in Libya and Somalia, the Afghan War can still be
prosecuted, Italy can be
garrisoned by American troops (putting the “empire” back in Rome), Africa can be used as an
imperial playground (as in the late nineteenth century “
scramble for Africa,” but with the U.S. and China doing the scrambling this time around), and the military-industrial complex can still
dominate the world’s arms trade.
In the halls of Congress and the Pentagon, it’s business as usual, if your definition of “business” is the power and profits you get from constantly preparing for and prosecuting wars around the world.