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[Karey]

Karey De Leon
English 101
Professor O’connel
“We Support Our Troops . . . We Just Don’t Support the War!”
No two conflicting theories have generated more debate over the course
of centuries than those concerning whether people are essentially good
or essentially evil. From the perspective of the character Apemantus
from Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens, all humanity is selfish and
hateful, and only bears spiteful acts against each other. Like
Bacevich, Apemantus would view the military suspiciously and would
argue that the military only exists to benefit the wealthy. That is,
the military exists only to defend and protect government and
individual property interests, i.e., oil interests in the Middle East.
Apemantus would agree with Bacevich that the assumption that civilians
support the military is misguided. Thus, Apemantus would arguably be
opposed to any measure which benefited military personnel or the
family of anyone in the military, regardless of whether he supported
the military action in which the military was involved. On the other
hand, the character Alcibiades is a soldier at heart. He is the
defender of humanity, even of those who are purportedly wrong-doers.
Alcibiades would disagree with Bacevich and argue that the public
should support the military. Alcibiades represents the pre-Vietnam
perspective concerning the military- fighting for a righteous cause.
Like the World War II era soldier discussed by Bacevich, Alcibiades
fights to protect what he believes is right, even putting his own life
at stake. By way of example, he protested the death sentence of his
friend, and was therefore banished in doing so. It was only then that
he became an enemy of Athens. When Timon gifts him the gold coins,
Alcibiades’ faith in humanity was restored. Alcibiades’ overall
disposition is kind and helpful. Hence, regardless of the fact that
he is a soldier himself, he would likely be in favor of a measure
which assisted military personnel or the family of military personnel.
Bacevich focuses on the fact that the U.S. government is mistaken in
its belief that civilians support the military. In that, he is
correct. Studies show that financial outreach for military families
is at an all-time low. (Read, 2009). However, Bacevich largely
ignores that while lack of support may be the current public
sentiment, it is not necessarily wise or correct. From a humanitarian
perspective, “rank and file” members of the military should be
protected. Persons enlisted in the military are not to blame for the
decisions being made by high-ranking officials in Washington, and they
should not be penalized or mistreated. In fact, especially during a
period in which support for the military is dwindling, enlisted
military should be shielded from ridicule and poor treatment. It is
well-settled that all branches of the military widely and
disproportionately recruit from minority communities and those in poor
socio-economic classes. (Lutz, 2008). This is because these classes
of persons are most vulnerable to influences of the military and have
limited career options outside the military. (Lutz, 2008). This would
explain the recent surge in military enlisting during these
challenging economic times. (George, 2009) Thus, since our society
tends to be predatory toward the poor and minorities in influencing
them to enlist in the military, the most humanitarian approach toward
them would be to support them once they have been recruited.
Americans can, and should, support the troops without supporting the
war- whatever the war that may be. The most important way that
Americans can support the troops is to support legislation drafted in
benefit of the troops and their families. The Family Medical Leave
Act was recently amended to give military families special
accommodations in the workplace.


References
Bacevich, Andrew. 2009. The Limits of Power: the End of American
Exceptionalism.
Bosland, Carl C. 2009, October 27. FMLA To Be Modified Today! The
Federal Sector.
DeBare, Ilana. 1998, August 3. A Time For Caring: Family & Medical
Leave Act is a workplace success story. San Fransisco Chronicle
George, Justin. 2009, January 9. Military re-enlistments increase as
jobs become scarce. St. Petersburg Times.
Giridhar, Suneetha. 2008, November 14. FMLA Changes: Headache Relief
or Just More Headaches? American Society of Employers.
Lutz, Amy. Winter 2008. Who Joins the Military? A Look at Race, Class
and Immigration Status. Journal of Political and Military Sociology.
Read, Tracey. 2009, September 11. Support for troops at all-time low.
The News-Herald.
Specter, Arn. 2009, October 29. The High Costs of Today's U.S.
Defense Budget, OpEd News.
U.S. Department of Labor. 2000. Balancing the Needs of Families and
Employers: Family and Medical Leave Surveys 2000. Westat for the U.S.
Department of Labor, Washington, DC.
Vespereny, Cynthia. 2009, February 27. Businesses need to act on
changes to employee leave. St. Louis Business Journal.

[Karey]

[Caroline D]

The United States has been known to be a country of freedoms and
“superpower”. In the past, the United States had became accustomed to
doing what they wanted how ever they wanted, but in recent years the
dominant fundamentals in which this country was formed have been
compromised due to the War on Terror and the culture practices of the
United States civilization, which has caused “the limits of power”
that the United States truly holds. “The United States is like a giant
boiler. Once the fire is lighted under it, there is no limit to the
power it can generate” (Churchill). In his book The Limits of Power,
Andrew J. Bacevich tells Americans that they have a military crisis,
and one of the main problems of the United States military is the
obstruction and the “lost art of strategy” (Bacevich, 165). The
current harnful stature of the United States military can be compared
to Shakespeare play, Timon of Athens. Timon is the main character in
the play and he is like the United States. Both Timon and the United
States fail in “crafting grand strategy instead nurse’s fantasies” as
Bacevich said (Bacevich, 167). The fact is that Timon was being used
by his “friends” for gifts and money, and the United States military
needs to focus on possible solutions for the country’s problems verses
trying to achieve “permanent global hegemony or remaking the world in
America’s image ”(Bacevich, 167). Although Timon is the main character
in the play, Alicibiades and Flavius can also be compared to the
behavior of the United States. After Alcibiades had to leave Athens he
decided to plan an invasion against Athens in order to fix what he
felt was incorrect. Alicibiades behavior compares to the United States
because the military also invaded a land in which did not ask for our
help. Although The United States did not go on a mission to slaughter
individuals, one of the original intents was to capture Osama Bin
Laden and through out the duration of this continual War on Terror
there have been numerous accounts of fatalities to both soldiers and
civilians. Flavious is actually a character that I think has great
significance as to what the United States and characters of Timon of
Athens should follow. Instead of the United States invading other
countries and claiming to “help” them we should have followed the
behavior of Flavius and not Alcibiades. Flavius was there to tell and
warn Timon of his financial problems, while helping Timon in anyway he
possibly could if he was asked, but it was Timons choice not to
listen. Flavius proved to be an honorable character that sincerely
cared and did what he could to help Timon. The United States needs to
follow that example. If the United States does not stop the country
can and will continue to decline in its rich military stature.
Instead, the United States needs to learn how to correctly strategize,
and abide by those strategies, in doing this, the United States could
prevent future unnecessary conflicts which will help the stabilization
of the military and economy.
In Derek Cohen’s article The Politics of Wealth: Timon of Athens he
correctly states that “money buys power and its concomitants like
authority.” This proves to be true for both the economic stand point
that the United States and Timon once processed. At the beginning of
the play he is a wealthy man who enjoys his life, he has plenty of
“friends” and plenty of money, but as the play progressed Timon
encounters financial difficulties that result in debt and
homelessness. Due to the fact that none of Timons’ friends were
interested in helping him, he began to view mankind as anomalistic
because he felt mankind deserved to be cursed because they lacked
loyalty and morals. Timon felt he was always there to give gifts and
help others (excluding Apemantus). Yet he was puzzled to learn no one
was willing to assist him in his time of need. Timon made this
mistake, because he did not fully educate himself on the importance of
budgeting, and he did not have someone who wisely advised him on how
to spend his money. The United States has advanced and improved
several technological aspects of the military, which has been
extremely costly. It was reported that “the cost of war (Iraq and
Afghanistan) is estimated to be about $170 billion for the 2009
spending alone” (Shah, World Military Spending). Due to the fact that
the United States is currently in a recession, it is a serious problem
that almost $200 billion is being spent annually on a war that has not
been proven to be beneficial to the United States or other countries.
The United States now carries a large deficit, and there has been a
numerous amount of fatalities and injuries to the military and
civilians. The United States relates to Timon because both the United
States and Timon are wasting money. Timon is spending money on lavish
unnecessary gifts for friends, where as the United States is wasting
money on a long drawn out war. Like Timon, it would not be bad if the
money was spent on something useful, but because Timon spent his money
imprudently, he found himself isolated with out money, a home, or
friends. The United States must learn the importance of strategy and
following the strategic plan because Timons’ financial stature
compared to that of the United States. The United States has been
known to be a “superpower” among several nations. At one point the
United States was well respected by other countries. The United States
did not have a deficit, and some individuals would describe the United
States military as a “power such as the world had never
seen” ( Bacevich, 126).Yet in recent years many of the qualities that
were and are admired about the United States are diminishing or have
already ceased, post September 11, 2001. After the War on Terror
began, the United States has managed to lose its “superpower” image
along with billions of dollars and the respect of several individuals’
nation and world wide. The United States Military is one of the main
issues that has caused great quandary to the United States economy.

[NATALYA D]

Natalya Dverina
English 101
Professor O’Connel
11/21/09

Military Crisis
“Make war breed peace, make peace stint war, make each
Prescribe to other, as each other's leech,” says Timon’s epitaph
(Shakespeare 1608, p. 55). This is Timon’s legacy and four hundred
years later it is still suitable as a foreign policy of a major world
power such as the United States of America. The U.S. foreign policy
until recently, however, was more one of an empire than of a state
that only fights when it must. As a result, the U.S. military is
suffering from a number of problems that start with how the military
is perceived by the politicians and ordinary people as well as by lack
of capable top level military strategists who can effectively conduct
wars. In addition, as described by Shakespeare’s Alcibiades (p. 30),
our society’s recognition of the service by the military service men
and women is hardly an adequate appreciation of their true
contribution to the safety and security of the United States.
It is remarkable that after four hundred years, Shakespeare’s
thoughts as expressed in “The Life of Timon of Athens” are still
relevant to the current events. Shakespeare’s Timon could be viewed as
a metaphor of how the U.S. has been conducting its foreign and
domestic policy - continuous spending. As a consequence of spending, a
significant military effort was required to sustain the flow of oil
and cheap consumer goods. Since the post-World War II times, the U.S.
military was used as a tool to enforce the U.S. foreign policy
(Bacevich 2009, p. 143). Given the current political and economic
situation, it is necessary to revise the foreign policy from “empire
policing” (Bacevich 2009, p. 143) to what Timon of Athens called “…
make each prescribe to other, as each other's leech” (Shakespeare
1608, p. 55). Until the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, however, the
United States military force was perceived as the most powerful
military in the world. The campaigns in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan
showed that even though the U.S. military is the most advanced
technologically, it suffers from lack of adequate military strategists
(Bacevich 2009, p. 143-151). As a result, even though the U.S.
achieved the immediate goals in Iraq and Afghanistan, the long term
losses have exceeded any estimates and have revealed significant flaws
in the U.S. military capabilities. According to Christopher Preble
(2009), the U.S. public does not want to “… remain actively engaged in
the world without having to be in charge of it.” Moreover, with the
current economic situation in the U.S., it is not economically
feasible to maintain the same level of involvement in the world
affairs as the U.S. previously did.
To make the military more efficient the U.S. must substitute the
“imperial foreign policy” (Bacevich 2009, p. 143) with the one that
reflects the current standing of the U.S. in the world and efficiently
utilizes the superior capabilities of the U.S. armed forces. According
to Bacevich, the U.S. standing in the world has changed from being a
global superpower. The U.S. no longer can maintain the same level of
military and financial involvement into the world affairs. As a
result, the military must be reformed to reduce the emphasis of force
in war campaigns. The U.S. military has repeatedly demonstrated the
superior capabilities in defeating the enemy; however it is no longer
sufficient to just defeat the enemy (Bacevich 2009, p. 161). As Iraq
and Afghanistan showed, the U.S. soldier is becoming a “… cop and
social worker” (Bacevich 2009, p.135).
Another aspect of the military crisis is the detachment between the
army and the public. According to Bacevich, since there is no
mandatory conscription the U.S. public is not as concerned with the
wars (Bacevich 2009, p. 152-156). Having a draft would put a much
higher level of accountability on the politicians before they send the
drafted troops to action (Bacevich 2009, p. 153). Even reinstituting
the draft seems to be appropriate course of action in reforming the
military, it is unlikely to happen due to the significant increase in
cost of maintaining the new army that would be twice as big (Bacevich
2009, 153). In addition, the U.S. public would heavily oppose the idea
of the draft. As Shakespeare’s Alcibiades argues with the senators
that the soldier who killed in self-defense many times fought for
Athens and deserves a better fate, it is apparent that the same issues
are still present in our society — the issues that veterans are facing
are hardly compensated by the benefits. Post-traumatic stress disorder
is one of the most common problems that veterans face upon returning
to civilian life. The recent events at Ft. Hood showed that the stress
that service men and women are experiencing even before being sent to
action could be too difficult to bear (Goode 2009). Because the public
is so detached from the veterans, it is important that the public
support is expressed with much more than putting a bumper sticker or
wearing a t-shirt.

References:
Bacevich, A., (2009). The Limits of Power: the End of American
Exceptionalism. City: Holt Paperbacks.
GOODE, E. (2009, November 8). When Soldiers Snap. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/weekinreview/08goode.html?scp=3&sq=ptsd%20hasan&st=cse
Preble, C. (2009, May 21). The New world order (part iii). Retrieved
from http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10251

[Joe G]

November 21, 2009

Timon of Athens
E3 half due
English 101 Section 3226
Professor O’Connell

Amazingly, Timon of Athens is a metaphor to what is happening today,
during this century in the United States of America and our
overwhelming relationships with other countries throughout the world.
The United States of America was known as a “Superpower” to the
world. In Andrew J. Bacevich book “The Limits of Power”, he writes of
our failure “to meet the standards” (p 124) the shortcomings in
Afghanistan and Iraq to “deliver a knockout blow” (p 125). Timon is
America at what appeared to be the finest of times, and both Timon and
America fail. Bacevich warns Americans that we have a military
crisis, and one of the main dilemmas of the United States military is
the obstruction and the “lost art of strategy” (p 165). Basevich
writes about the “three great illusions” (p 127), the first advanced
technologies, the second illusion (p 129) Weinberger-Powell Doctrine
“criteria for deciding when and how to use force”. And third
illusion, false hope of Americas falling in love with our armed
forces. Timon is the main character of the play; however, Alicibiades
and Flaminius are also compatible to the behavior and actions of the
United States. Alicibiades says “For pity in virtue of the law, and
none but tyrants use it cruelly” (p 51). Bacevich argues that America
was going to war with the wrong plan and Rumsfeld “tied the hands of
commanders while our troops were in contact with the enemy” (p 137).
Alicibiades had to leave Athens and make a plan to invade Athens so he
could fix what he felt was wrong. We can compare the behavior of
Alicibiades to the United States military as we too invaded
Afghanistan and Iraq which did not ask for our help. However,
Americas agenda was to capture Osama Bin Laden, and because this “war
on terror” unnecessary and wrong fatalities to both civilian and
soldiers. The character Flaminius wanted to lead Timon in the right
direction and warn him of his financial problems and to be of service
to Timon in any possible way, however, Timon chose not to listen.
Flaminius was a noble and respectable man of good character who was
sincere in his efforts to help Timon. In the beginning of the play
Timon is on top of the world, a wealthy man enjoying his life with
many so called friends. Slowly, but surely Timon is pained with
incredible debt and becomes homeless. Sadly, none of Timons’ friends
were around when he needed them the most, and he just couldn’t
understand why none of his friends were willing to help him. He began
to view man through a new pair of glasses, as animalistic and felt
mankind deserved to be cursed because of a lack of morals and values.
Timon once enjoyed the gift of giving and helping others, with the
exception Apemantus. One of Timons biggest mistakes was the ignorance
of not budgeting or seeking advice on how to handle his money. If the
United States does not stop “confusing strategy with ideology” (P 165)
the United States can and will decline in its rich military stature.
The United States needs to agree to disagree, brainstorm with all of
its highest ranking officers of the armed forces, along with the
President and his cabinet, come up with a strategy; this could prevent
unnecessary wars and help stabilize our military and economical
infrastructure. Another way Timon and the United States relate is the
wasting of money; America is in a recession with about $200 billion a
year spent on a war that appears hopeless and aimless. America should
follow the Weinberger-Powell Doctrine since it was created to make
sure another Vietnam would not happen, “the United States would fight
only when genuinely vital interests were at stake” (p 129). The
United States should not follow the example of Timon or Alcibiades.
Alcibiades believed he could get justice by invading Athens and Timon
was wasteful and lost hope in humanity. Flaminius is the character
America should follow to be loyal and attempt to help Timon make good
choices. Our government had not planned on being 11 trillion dollars
in debt, Obama’s; budgeting plan is to cut that number to 3 trillion
in the next 7 years. I believe Americans are waking up, by no choice
of their own. So as Americans wake up, by losing jobs, increases in
college fees, more homeless people of middle class, we have to have
hope and not give up.

[Christine Choi]

LACC Fall 2009
English 101
Instructor Ed O’Connell
Online section #3226
Christine Choi
11/21/09

Timon is the main character in Shakespeare’s play Timon of Athens and
Alcibiades is an acquaintance of Timon, who is a captain of Athens.
Surprisingly the metaphoric lessons this two characters offer in this
play can be implied to understand a specific aspect of contemporary US
military culture, specifically on an issue of the war in Iraq and
Afghanistan. After the 9/11 attack of terrorist, US government
declared war on terrorists. The stated objectives of the war in the
US are to protect the citizens of the US and allies, to protect the
business interests of the US and allies at home and abroad, break up
terrorist cells in the US, and disrupt the activities of the
international network of terrorist organizations made up of a number
of groups under the umbrella of al-Qaeda. From the play, Timon
somehow looks very similar to those corporations procuring the war and
the political actions of US at the time of 9/11, meanwhile Alcibiades
reminds of the military itself. Today’s US military culture was also
well explained in the book The Limits of Power: The End of American
Exceptionalism, the author Andrew J. Bacevich. His argument is
focusing on the three illusions of US military culture and their
goals, yet also reveals the problems of US military culture that was
shown in recent conflict such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the beginning of the play, Timon is a wealthy man, who
enjoys giving gifts to his friends and sharing his wealth. He
believes that friendship means giving to his friends without expecting
something in return. However, towards the end of the story, Timon
gets abandoned by the friends, who once praised Timon. Timon declares
his hatred for mankind and takes off for the wilderness. He
encounters Alcibiades and provides him with gold that he found under
the ground and tells him to massacre the whole Athenians. Timon’s
indignation not just towards the people who betrayed him, but towards
the entire mankind somehow looks more like the US political scene
right after the 9/11 attack from the terrorists. In the play, when
senators came up to Timon’s cave out in the wilderness and convince
Timon to come back to Athens to stop Alcibiades’s rebellion, the
action of senators can be interpreted as the effort of politicians who
tries to look for an ultimate political solution without having a war
as a counsel of despair.
The Timon’s role also can be implied as the corporations
which procures the war. In the play, Timon supports Alcibiades by
giving him a share of gold and tell him to massacre the entire people
in Athens. From that scene, the rage and hatred of Timon towards
mankind clearly projects. If Alcibiades led his troop and slaughtered
the Athenians, Timon might have settled his old grudge. If goes
further, if Alcibiades successfully took over the administrative power
of Athens, he might have moved back to the Athens and start over with
people who actually honor him and true to him. Timon also can
exercise his political power since the war was financially procured by
him. In today’s military culture, those corporations procure every
part of war. They support financially, send weapons, feeding the
soldiers, providing transportation methods and so on. The war can be
the most beneficial method of making profits in the perspective of
corporations.
In the other hand, Alcibiades led his troop right in front of the gate
of Athens, but when senators convince him that not everyone in the
Athens wronged him, so rather killing the entire people in Athens,
only kill those who wronged Alcibiades and Timon. From this scene,
Alcibiades reminds of the US armed force, and the senators in Athens
look like the politicians presenting different methods of political
solution without having war. During the war, the prioritized military
aim is to achieve political goal by using the armed force. Since
today’s war projects the financial power right into the military power
the recruiting goal has to be achieved in a quick and convenient
manner. However, using armed force is the final method of a nation.
If the problem can be solved up to the level of political agreement,
it is right to pursuit in a peaceful manner without causing wars.
However, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan shows the political arrogance
and misjudgment of US government still continuing the war without
achieving the ultimate political goals. The war is still continued
without any progress, meanwhile US economy crumble down into pieces.
The whole country is in recession, yet the military budget still
increases every year. The play, Timon of Athens by Shakespeare
introduces two metaphoric characters, Timon and Alcibiades who mirrors
the current US military culture in the recent issue of Iraq and
Afghanistan.


References
Bacevich, A. (2009). The Limits of Power: The End of American
Exceptionalism. New York: Holt Paperbacks.
Shakespeare, W. (2008). Timon of Athens Ed3 Arden (Arden Shakespeare:
Third). London: Arden Shakespeare.

[Hong C]

Could military be an universal key to solve all problems? questions of
the US military culture today

According to CBS news on November 9, 2009, a decision of deploying
40,000 more troops to Afghanistan has been made by Whiter House
(Martin). Sending more troops to prevent insurgency of Afghanistan
has been considered as a new strategy by military generals although
the Afghanistan war has been fighting for eight years. As Bacevich
stated in his book The limits of power, "the prospect implies a
rigorous integration of military action with political purpose"(2009,
p.135), despite how much the military could perform in a foreign
country. Troop deploying seem like a common sense for a war, except
the US are shorting with soldiers.To shore up the lagging troop
number, the Military has broken its promise sending soldiers, even
someone with medical conditions back to war zone (Foxnews, 2008). As
many illusions of the US military, such as unbeatable troop, advanced
technology and certain victory has busted, public has lost their
interesting to support any interventions that are reckless,
purposeless and extremely expensive(Cuomo, Oct 7，2009）,so it is not
surprise that a bill of reinstate the military draft did not pass by
Congress( Foxnew, February 14, 2006). Both public and soldiers
couldn't continuing tolerant the misjudgment and lapses of the
military commanders. They don't want send more people oversea to do
unnecessary sacrifice, and they need an effective military to defend
their country and their belief of liberty. Bacevich is right,
involving by many variables,War is unpredictable and uncontrollable;
thus, military isn't a universal key for solve all problems.To achieve
its goals of nation security and development, the US should adjust its
foreign policy and use its military power reasonable and wisely.

The military power should be used for defensive of a country and not
to interfere other countries.The defensive for their people is a
nature of military. The US military is supported by American people,
so it should protect Americans' right and liberty. But a wrong
illusion in which US military future become counter-insurgency is
insisted by politicians and military generals." Reviving public
services...and promoting good governance...all these so-called
nontraditional capabilities have moved into mainstream of military.
( Bacevich, p.135)"They believe that advanced technologies has reduced
intensity of wars and modern soldiers face less conflict than
traditional soldiers, so modern soldiers should perform more services
in a foreign country,such as public security, nation building or even
force advisor. This illusion don't comfort to reality because soldiers
are not social workers who have knowledge to interact with people.
It's no doubt soldiers could easily impress local people by their
restricting military discipline and friendly attitude, but both
soldiers and local people could be confused by their difference of
cultures, traditions and religions. Those confusions could cause
distrust by local public and pressure to soldiers. Also, to complete
help to other countries, it's more important to support local force to
do their job than let American soldiers wandering in the streets
surround by local people fearful eyes. Moreover, their efficiency
could be reduced when soldiers stay in a foreign country for long
time. According to Col. John Hort, commander of Fort Carson, some of
the soldiers who have been send back to war zone unfit their duties.
He has been considered that '“the 3rd Brigade Combat Team deployed in
December for the third time. The unit has been under
strength"(Foxnews, January 19). Counter-insurgency or other social
works should only be a ancillary and temporary duties to soldiers, so
they could concentrate on their military practice and perform their
defensive duty as they surpose to do.

The military power should be used for prevent a war and not to cause a
war. Because Wars have been consisted by series conflictions in which
people have suffered mentally, physically and the cost has been
numerous, avoiding a war has been a best choise for most government.
But when Bush Administation conceived a new strategy for the global
war on terrors , US military found themselves involving on several
wars. Military generals had promised that US only fought with clear,
concrete goals and finished the job efficiently and gets out as
quickly as possible(Bacevich 2009). Their illusions have busted as the
Afghanistan war has become endless. Military commanders' misjudgement
has brought great cost for both military and public.They blindly trust
on the technological equipments and ignore the tradional military
study; also, they" believe their enemies will possess no asymmetric
approaches... headed them to defeat" (Murray, 1999). War are
uncontrollable and unpredictable, military power should not be used
for a purposeless and reckless war.


Reference:

Cuomo, C; Strathmann, C & Netter, S. 2009,Oct 7.Retired military
leaders debate necessit of increased troops in war- torn Afghanistan.
ABCnews
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Afghanistan/afghanistan-war-anniversary-find-strategy/story?id=8768134

Bacevich, A. 2009. The limits of power. New York: Holt.
Foxnews.2004, October 06. House Opposes Military Draft Bill.Foxnews
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134546,00.html
Foxnews. 2008. January 19. Injured Troops Sent Back to Iraq Amid
Soldier Shortage Saturday. Foxnews
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,324070,00.html

Larson, E. 1996. Casualties and Consensus: The Historical Role of
Casualties in Domestic Support for U.S. Military Operations.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB2502/index1.html

Martin, David.2009, November 9.Obama's Afghan Plan: About 40K More
Troops.CBSnews
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/09/world/main5592551.shtml
Murray ,Williamson.1999,January. Military Culture Does Matter Volume
7, Number 2

http://www.fpri.org/fpriwire/0702.199901.murray.militaryculturedoesmatter.html


Rangel, Rep, C. 2006, February 14. H. R. 4752 2d Session.To provide
for the common defense by requiring all persons in the United States,
including women, between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform a period of
military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the
national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.US
House of Representatives

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc109/h4752_ih.xml

[Caroline D]

The United States has been known to be a country of freedoms and

supposed superpower. In the past, the United States had became
accustomed to doing what they wanted and however they wanted, but in

recent years the dominant fundamentals in which this country was

formed have been compromised due to the War on Terror and the cultural

practices of the United States civilization, which has caused “the
limits of power” that the United States truly holds. “The United
States is like a giant boiler. Once the fire is lighted under it,
there is no limit to the power it can generate” (Churchill). In his

book The Limits of Power, Andrew J. Bacevich tells Americans that we

have a military crisis, and one of the main problems of the United
States military is the obstruction and the “lost art of

strategy” (Bacevich, 165). The current harmful stature of the United
States military can be compared to Shakespeare's play, Timon of
Athens. Timon is the play’s main character and he is more then one way

is like the United States. Both Timon and the United States fail in

“crafting grand strategy instead nurse’s fantasies” (Bacevich, 167).

The fact is that Timon was being used by his "friends" for gifts and
money, and the United States military needs to focus on possible

solutions for the country’s problems insteas of trying to achieve

“permanent global hegemony or remaking the world in America’s image
”(Bacevich, 167). Although Timon is the main character in the play,
Alicibiades and Flavius can also be compared to the behavior of the

United States. After Alcibiades had to leave Athens he decided to rage
an invasion against Athens in order to fix what he felt was unjust and

incorrect. Alicibiades behavior compares to the United States because

the military also invaded a land in which did not as for our help.

Although The United States did not go on a mission to slaughter
individuals, one of the original intents was to capture Osama Bin

Laden and throughout the duration of this continual War on Terror

there have been numerous accounts of fatalities to both soldiers and

civilians. Flavius is actually a character that has great significance

as to what the United States and characters of Timon of Athens should
follow. Instead of the United States invading other countries and
claiming to “help” them we should have followed the behavior of
Flavius and not Alcibiades. Flavius was there to tell and warn Timon

of his financial problems, while helping Timon in any way he possibly

could if he was asked, but it was Timons choice not to listen. Flavius

proved to be an honorable character that sincerely cared about and did

what he could to help Timon. The United States needs to follow that

example. If the United States does not stop, the country can and will

continue to decline in its rich military stature. Instead, the United

States needs to learn how to correctly stragigize, and abide by those
straigies, in doing this, the United States could prevent future

unnecessary conflicts which will help the stabilization of the
military and economy.

In Derek Cohen’s article The Politics of Wealth: Timon of Athens, he

correctly states that “money buys power and its concomitants like
authority.” This proves to be true for both the economic standpoint
that the United States and Timon once processed. At the beginning of

the play he is a wealthy man who enjoys his life. He has plenty of

“friends” and plenty of money, but as the play progressed Timon
encounters financial difficulties that result in debt and
homelessness. Due to the fact that none of Timons’ friends were

interested in helping him, he began to view mankind as animosity. He

felt mankind deserved to be cursed because they lacked loyalty and
morals. Timon felt he was always there to give gifts and help others

(excluding Apemantus), yet he was puzzled to learn no one was willing
to assist him in his time of need. Timon made his mistake because he

did not fully educate himself on the importance of budgeting, and he

did not listen to someone who wisely advised him on how to spend his

money. The United States has advanced and improved several

technological aspects of the military, but it has been extremely

costly. It was reported that “the cost of war (Iraq and Afghanistan)
is estimated to be about $170 billion for the 2009 spending
alone” (Shah, World Military Spending). Due to the fact that the
United States is currently in a recession, it is a serious problem
that almost $200 billion is being spent annually on a war that has not
been proven to be beneficial to the United States or other countries.

The United States now carries a large deficit, and there have been
numerous fatalities and injuries to the military and civilians. The

United States relates to Timon because both the United States and
Timon are wasting money. Timon is spending money on lavish unnecessary

gifts for friends, whereas the United States is wasting money on a

long drawn out war. Like Timon, it would not be bad if the money was
spent on something useful, but because Timon spent his money

imprudently, he found himself isolated without money, a home, or

friends. The United States must learn the importance of strategy and
following the strategic plan because Timons’ financial stature
compared to that of the United States. The United States has been
known to be a “superpower” among several nations. At one point the
United States was well respected by other countries. The United States
did not have a deficit, and some individuals would describe the United
States military as a “power such as the world had never

seen” ( Bacevich, 126). Post September 11, 2001, many of the qualities
that were and are admired about the United States have diminished or
already ceased. After the War on Terror began, the United States has

managed to lose its “superpower” image along with billions of dollars
and the respect of several individuals’ nation and worldwide. The

United States military is one of the main issues that has caused great
quandary to the United States economy. Instead of being wasteful Timon
and the United States military should learn how to budget. Timon
should not have continually bought his friends gifts, because the
result of his spending caused him to be destitute. The United States
needs to go back to the simply way of life including the military. An
excellent example was given in Andrew J Bacivichs’ book The Limits of
Power. Becivich explained the way that The United States should tilt
“the civil- military balance back in favor of the general, untying the
hands of senior commander (Baceivich, 137).” If the United States
would delegate the proper authority to the appropriate people a lot of
incorrect assumptions and judgments about the War on Terror may not
have been made, because the decisions of the generals and commanders
would have been based on their experience and the history of what has
and has not worked in past wars. Bacivich also talked about the way
the Weinberger-Powell Doctrine was created and used. The main purpose
of the doctrine was to make sure that Vietnam did not reoccur. I think
that the doctrine is brilliant because it intended that “the United
States would fight only when genuinely vital interests were at stake.
(Baceivich, 129).” There for if the Weinberger-Powell Doctrine was in
practice today, I am certain that the United States would not be
engaged in The War on Terror, because there is no vital interest that
belongs to United States that is currently at stake. If The United
States would practice the Weinberger-Powell Doctrine today, plenty of
money and lives would be saved. The country needs to exit the war as
soon as possible, because billions of dollars is being spent, and like
Timon we are building an accumulation of dept which could result in a
destitute nation. The United States faces a large military crisis. The
United States “is doomed to fail” (Bergen, 1) if it does not begin to
focus on the importance of strategic planning and following threw with
it.

If the United States continues to spend more and more money that we do
not have on The War on Terror, the country will soon find its self in
the position of Timon. The United States will have no funds,
resources, or allies to assist the countries’ stability. The United
States does not need to follow the example of Timon or Alicibiades.
Timon was wasteful and lost his hope in humanity, and Alicibiades
believed that he could get justice by invading Athen. In reality I
still think the best character to take advice from is Flavius. He was
loyal, and this proved to be true when Timon gave him gold at the end
because he also felt he was a man of loyalty, and Flavius did attempt
to warn Timon about his finances but it was Timons choice to continue
to spend unwisely. The United States must realize the imperativeness
of strategic planning. “Strategy is the planning, coordination, and
general direction of military operations to meet overall political and
military objectives” (Goodman, 1). There for, if the United States
lacks proper strategy and does not following threw with strategic
plans the military crisis will continue to grow causing more harm to
the American economy and others. Instead, the United States needs to
realize and remedial the imperativeness of military strategy, because
if our military follows wise strategic plans it can and will lead to
the success of our military and aid in the stabilization of the United
States economy.

References:

Obama Anti-Terror Plan Could be Doomed to Fail
By Peter Bergen, New America Foundation
CNN March 27, 2009

Bacevich, A., 2008. The Limits Of Power. Book.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/r48l23t752257601/

Shakespeare, W., 2000. Timon of Athens.

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/maxwell/mp10.pdf