In an interview with Steve Hilton of Fox News on Sunday US President Donald Trump spoke out against the influence of the “military-industrial complex” and its desire for war.
President Trump made the comments when questioned about the possibility of war with Iran. The President said he always been opposed to foreign interventions such as in Iraq and Libya but said he cannot allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
In a harking back to the rhetoric of candidate Trump, the president said that he opposes open ended wars such as the US involvement in Afghanistan and that when force must be used it should be used quickly and overwhelming such as action he ordered against the Islamic State.
President Trump stated in the interview
“Well, I’m the one that talks about these wars that are 19 years, and people are just there, and don’t kid yourself, you do have a military-industrial complex. They do like war. You know, in Syria, with the caliphate, so I wipe out 100 percent of the caliphate. … I said I want to bring our troops back home. The place went crazy. You have people here in Washington, they never want to leave,”
The phrase “military-industrial complex” was first used by President Dwight Eisenhower in his farewell address and served as a stark warning to the American people and his incoming successor John F Kennedy.
It refers the complex linkage between the arms industry, lobbyists, politicians and other vested interests who seek to control and direct US foreign policy and support military interventions and conflicts to maintain and increase their profits and power.
Tensions between the US and Iran have been at an all time high in recent weeks after the US tightened sanctions on the country and moved extra military assets to the region following intelligence that Iranian backed militias were planning attacks on US forces and interests.
What are your thoughts on this? Tell us in the comments section on Facebook and share this with your friends.