The U.S. conducts secret wars. It’s been doing this for decades. They remain secret to the American masses. They become semi-secret to a circle of more informed Americans when a few reporters dig out tidbits of information and connect the dots. Semi-secret still keeps the American public or masses in the dark. Semi-secret gives presidents years of breathing room and years of the power to use their secret proxy forces, mercenaries, advisers, and CIA people. It gives them time to ignore the Constitution and avoid anti-war movements and impeachment rumblings. Then they’re out of office.
Secret and semi-secret wars are totally inconsistent with the theory of transparent and accountable government (called loosely democratic) that these same presidents boast of and claim as a justification for their constant interventions and aggressions. They’re consistent with a government that wants to exercise power without being constrained by the contrary preferences of members of the American public. This undemocratic form of government is better known by the term autocratic. This occurs when one or a few people rule arbitrarily.
The problem with existing political terms that describe power relations is that they do not capture gradations of power. At one end is the transparent and accountable leader. At the other extreme is the dictator, tyrant or despot who is said to be cruel and have total or absolute power. What we have in America is in between these extremes and moving toward the dictatorial end of the spectrum.
For a very recent example of a secret and semi-secret CIA war, see Syria, as described in this article. It has some new details of the CIA control over anti-Assad forces and it connects the dots to Obama’ latest war which is really aimed at Assad. Search on “secret U.S. wars” to find many more cases.
12:15 pm on September 18, 2014
