Terrorism and Government

Bill Bonner says that the relationship between governments and terrorists is symbiotic.

Terrorists give governments an enemy to protect people against (conveniently, one that can never really win). In return, they get fame, power, money and more recruits, thanks to governments’ heavy-handed “wars” against them.

And if the history of empires is predictive, we can expect more consolidation of power in the executive branch, more rules and regulations to “protect” us from evil, more controls, more costs, more spending and more debt.

The taxpayers will grumble and groan about the increased burden, but as long a war is in the headlines, they will fall into line.

As the military gets more money, it will favor more costly weapons systems, entrenched tactics, old military technology and a more bureaucratic internal structure. It will become stronger and stronger on paper, but more vulnerable to quick-moving opponents. After fighting so many phony wars for so long, it will be incapable of defending the country in a real one.