War and the Politics of Contentment

One of the best books ever written about American politics - at least so far as I've encountered them - is The Culture of Contentment (1992) by the economist and social critic John Kenneth Galbraith. He discusses how politics in America was (and still is) being shaped by the fact that only about half the eligible voters actually vote even in Presidential elections. And that half tends to be noticeably more affluent and comfortable than the half that doesn't vote.

One of the possible threats he discusses to what he calls "the age of contentment" and the more-or-less conservative politics growing out of it is an unpopular war. His observations on that subject have come to mind over and over during the last year:

<< Almost any military venture receives strong popular approval in the short run; the citizenry rallies to the flag and to the forces engaged in combat. The strategy and technology of the new war evoke admiration and applause. This reaction is related not to economics or politics but more deeply to anthropology. As in ancient times, when the drums sound in the distant forest, there is an assured tribal response. It is the rallying beat of the drums, not the virtue of the cause, that is the vital mobilizing force. >>

But, he notes, "this does not last." And he reminds the reader of how the images of once-popular wars have changed:

<< World War I, although it evoked the most powerful of patriotic responses at the time, has passed into history largely as a mindless and pointless slaughter. The party victoriously in power at the time, the Democrats, was rewarded in 1920 with a stern defeat at the polls. World War II ... has survived [in memory] with better reputation. However, the Korean and Vietnam wars, both greatly celebrated in their early months, ended with eventual rejection of the wars themselves and of the administrations responsible. In the longer run, it cannot be doubted, serious war deeply disturbs the political economy of contentment. >>

As this past weekend reminded everyone, the Iraq War is serious. Already the urgent need to stop Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction" that every good American patriot was so worried about just a few months ago has been shown to have been bogus.

The vital necessity of showing "resolve" and "will" may fade in time, as well.