Statistics that Reveal Which is the Most Aggressive Nation
Here is the entry in Secrets & Lies. (for those in the USA - Secrets & Lies), that so upset Defender of Liberty. As always, any comments or feedback is most welcome.
Statistics that Reveal Which is the Most Aggressive Nation
Although statistics are often abused and perverted to back up the official position, stripped-down numerical facts also possess a wonderful ability to cut through a miasma of lies, half-truths and conflicting claims to reveal unpleasant truths. When that happens, it becomes very clear why governments prefer to make policy on the basis of opinion rather than evidence. After all, surely it makes sense to adopt a defence strategy based on tackling the most aggressive country in the world?
It is not easy to develop a fair statistical formula for showing which nation holds the record for aggression since 1945, but two undeniable measures of aggression – bombing of another country and military invasion of a sovereign nation – allow for a good objective assessment.
Although Africa remains the bloodiest continent, with the highest number of aggressive acts occurring in it, using the above objective criteria, no single nation emerges as a challenger for the title of the world’s most aggressive country. Even given its record for invasion of satellite states such as Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Afghanistan in 1979, the former Soviet Union only manages to come in a distant second to the eventual winner.
The most aggressive nation is the United States of America. With 17 invasions of other countries and the bombing of 22 states since 1945 including the bombings of Korea, Cuba, Libya, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Iraq and the less well-remembered bombings of Peru, Indonesia and Guatemala. It is also worth nothing that the USA spends more money on its military (currently $441.6 billion per year) than the next 12 nations combined.
There is a terrible irony that a country that has stood as a beacon of justice, democracy and freedom for so many in the world is revealed by statistics as the number one gangster. I do not know how a country so full of generous, open-hearted and principled people has allowed itself to earn the dubious title of the most aggressive nation in the globe today, but I am certain it is a record that most Americans will be appalled by.
Statistics that Reveal Which is the Most Aggressive Nation
Although statistics are often abused and perverted to back up the official position, stripped-down numerical facts also possess a wonderful ability to cut through a miasma of lies, half-truths and conflicting claims to reveal unpleasant truths. When that happens, it becomes very clear why governments prefer to make policy on the basis of opinion rather than evidence. After all, surely it makes sense to adopt a defence strategy based on tackling the most aggressive country in the world?
It is not easy to develop a fair statistical formula for showing which nation holds the record for aggression since 1945, but two undeniable measures of aggression – bombing of another country and military invasion of a sovereign nation – allow for a good objective assessment.
Although Africa remains the bloodiest continent, with the highest number of aggressive acts occurring in it, using the above objective criteria, no single nation emerges as a challenger for the title of the world’s most aggressive country. Even given its record for invasion of satellite states such as Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Afghanistan in 1979, the former Soviet Union only manages to come in a distant second to the eventual winner.
The most aggressive nation is the United States of America. With 17 invasions of other countries and the bombing of 22 states since 1945 including the bombings of Korea, Cuba, Libya, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Iraq and the less well-remembered bombings of Peru, Indonesia and Guatemala. It is also worth nothing that the USA spends more money on its military (currently $441.6 billion per year) than the next 12 nations combined.
There is a terrible irony that a country that has stood as a beacon of justice, democracy and freedom for so many in the world is revealed by statistics as the number one gangster. I do not know how a country so full of generous, open-hearted and principled people has allowed itself to earn the dubious title of the most aggressive nation in the globe today, but I am certain it is a record that most Americans will be appalled by.
6 Comments:
As an American, I was glad to see that there are statistics to back up what most intelligent American's already know: the American government lies to us, they tell us that certain countries are a threat to the way we live, when in fact it is us who are the threat.
A couple of years ago I spent some time in Jordan at an archaeological excavation. It amazed me that the people in Jordan actually love America, they want to go, they want to hear about it, they want to buy our crap, yet ask them about the government and you hear about how they hate our president.
I guess some American's, like your friend A Defender of Libert, are afraid to hear anything negative about our government, they have some idea that our government is perfect, which it is most certainly not...
A good analogy for your argument (and i think if you can't use a comic book to explain something, then it cannot be explained) would be Superman. He stands for Truth, Justice and the American Way. Well if he went around the world using his heat vision to destroy all the countries that do not uphold those ideals, then would he truly be a superhero?
Thank you for commenting. I appreciate your thoughts and interesting observation about Jordanian attitudes.
As a self-confessed comic geek, I am all in favour of using superhero analogies (though I do not want to re-open the Superman’s father is the Kryptonian Joseph Mengele debate)/
Appalled, yes. Surprised, no.
I took a journalism class in the late '70's. In that class I was asked to deliberately slant stories, and told what slant to give them. I refused. I was instructed to change my major. I was also told that any journalist unwilling to distort the facts to fit certain political agendas would soon find themselves unemployeed.
I was appalled. I changed my major because I did not have the funds to change schools. Shortly thereafter I dropped out of college altogether because I thought the problem was within that school. I am many years older and wiser (and college educated) -- but I also still hold those principles I'm told are out dated. Occassionally, when nobody is looking, I even try to pass them on.
Wow, that is definitely unfortunate to hear. At first I thought you meant that they wanted you to slant an article as part of an assignment, to show how you can misconstrue data, and how dangerous that can be.
I guess the world really needs Spider Jerusalem.
What is also interesting is that the US was vehemently isolationist after WWI. Europe lay in ruins in 1940 and, even tho Roosevelt was pro-neutrality, he soon became desperate to get involved. It took the bombing of Pearl Harbour to wake us up. I'm not sure that "we saved europe from hitler" is something to brag about, considering we stood by and watched it happen for several years before doing anything. Imagine, a time when the US refused to become the "world's policemen". How quaint.
By the way, your reader probably reacted the way he did because we americans are getting a little tired and nervous about the wave of anti-americanism that has been sweeping the globe for the last ... 5? ... 10? years. I am not my government. I didn't vote for these people and they are not representing me. Yet, seemingly, no matter who gets in office, nothing changes.
There is a man here running for the senate. He has a womens' pro-choice commercial running on television. I almost fell over when i saw it. That is political suicide in this state. I so admire his bravery and tenacity. This man SHOULD be in office. He is someone who will be concerned about the people he represents. But, he'll lose. I could cry.
Sorry for the rant.
This is not surprising and I need not defend it...we are the new kids on the block, the bullies, and forgetting that this is not a football game...patriotism shouldn't be fanaticism. We have a plethora of humans who could lead us in a better manner, but they'll never get to office because the good ol' boys with the bucks will always represent "our team" and make choices based on all the wrong crieria.
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