Economic Weakness Creates Military Weakness

Submitted by LToddWood via LToddWood.com / ZeroHedge

It has happened over and over again throughout history.  Nations, empires, and dynasties have made bad economic decisions which lead to their own destruction.  The scenario usually goes something like this–one generation sacrifices and works hard to overcome global challenges and creates an economic powerhouse, which in turn allows it to project military power.  Follow on generations take their elders work for granted and ignore and even denigrate the fruits of hard labor, they just want the benefits and start giving away the spoils for free.  The next generation indulges itself in sloth and corruption and is overrun by the barbarians. 

The Roman Empire was famous for giving out bread and circuses to satiate the citizens of Rome, all the while devaluing their currency with less and less precious metal. They ignored their financial obligations to their military.  The Emperor became corrupt, handing out favors only to those closest to him and persecuting the opposition while ignoring the very real threats to the north until it was too late.  The Spanish also devalued their currency by reducing the precious metal content as they fought wars all over the world.  We all know how that turned out.  After WWI, the Deutschmark to the Dollar exchange rate was 4 to 1.  In order to pay their war reparations, the Weimar Republic started printing money.  A few short years later it was four million to one USD.  This destroyed the German economy and gave Hitler an opening to power. 

Today with convoys of Russian troops rolling through the Crimean Peninsula and Hind helicopter gunships controlling the skies, one doesn’t have to look far to see evidence of American weakness.  Whether or not you can understand the Russian position, the bottom line is that Putin does not fear a Western reaction to Russia projecting power in Ukraine.  This situation is the latest in a long list of examples of American economic weakness leading to serious national security threats.  Iran continuing to develop nuclear weapons, Syria defying the Russian brokered agreement to destroy its chemical weapons, Russia granting Snowden asylum, North Korea going nuclear, China threatening Japan, are a direct result of an absence of a serious American response or perceived threat.

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http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-27/guest-post-economic-weakness-creates-military-weakness