The notion that the good society is the one that looks after the basic needs of its citizens so as to create a platform for the realization of their creative potentials is, if not dead, then in serious abeyance. Something has come along to undermine this ideal. What now competes with it is the idealization of anarchy. And, in this, the United States leads the way. The main route to this end is economic -- the privatization of just about everything while simultaneously destroying regulation. We know, again from history, that this can only lead to disaster, but the politicians who are leading this charge are themselves ideologues who don't give a fig for any history that might call into question their free market preferences.
The main route opens into many tributaries and one of them leads to the mercenary -- the gun for hire. It is hard enough keeping professional soldiers in line -- those operating under rules of engagement put in place by states which have signed on to the Geneva Conventions.
Bring mercenaries into the mix and, as Niccolo Machiavelli realized at the end of the 15th century, you are now tying your interests to untrustworthy and quite bloodthirsty barbarians. To grasp this fact you must know something about the history of warfare and be able to correctly learn from the experiences of others. Most politicians seem not to be able to do either of these things. It's an old story and seems to be today's story as well.
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