The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart The Military Industrial Complexity
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Jun 13, 2024 
Bill Hartung, a Senior Research Fellow focused on military spending, and Roxana Tiron, a National Security Reporter at Bloomberg, dissect the complexities of the military-industrial complex. They question whether the U.S. arsenal truly protects democracy, especially amid current conflicts. Insights on the bloated defense budget reveal a glaring disconnect in prioritizing military spending over public services. The duo also examines the contradictions of arms sales and the challenges faced by investigative journalism in shielding national security issues from public scrutiny.
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Misapplied Lessons from WWII
- The US may have misapplied the lessons of World War II.
- Military might isn't always the best solution for promoting democracy.
Bloated Military Budget
- The US military budget is excessively high, partially due to personnel costs.
- Focusing on advanced weaponry limits competition to a few large contractors.
Afghanistan Intervention
- The US armed Afghanistan against Russia, then fought a 20-year war there.
- This highlights a pattern of interventions creating instability.