"And you blacks are lynched!" - it was jokingly believed that long Soviet years this phrase was the USSR's universal response to any criticism from the United States. Race relations in the United States are indeed marred by a number of challenges, but they have made impressive progress over the past half century. The correspondent understood how African Americans and Indians live in the United States today.

Almost Africa

Everywhere there are only black faces, on the walls - photographs with views of Africa, and in the baggage claim hall - the work of sculptors from the Black Continent. The overall impression that I was in Africa, although I just got off the ramp at the airport of Atlanta, the capital of Georgia.

Atlanta is a very special city. It was here, in the heart of the once slave-owning South, that the famous fighter for the rights of blacks, King, was born. Today, when there is a street named after this black pastor in any American city, and his birthday is declared a national holiday and a day off, the Martin Luther King quarter has turned into a huge memorial complex, comparable in scale to the Lenin Museum in Ulyanovsk.

On Auburn Street, where Luther King's house is located, you can trace the stages of the struggle of the black residents of the quarter for their rights. So, for example, initially all the shops here belonged only to whites, but gradually the first black owners began to appear. Today, plaques hang on the first "black pharmacy," a diner, and even a fire station, where black workers were first recruited.

In the Museum of Non-Violent Fight Against Racism, located next to the memorial alley of the same name, you can watch a film about segregation in the South of the United States in the fifties of the last century. A large group of black schoolchildren watched the film with me, and a few white students also got in there. A fat and very cheerful black teacher sometimes commented on particularly interesting points. Upon learning that I was a journalist from Russia, the teacher immediately interrupted the viewing of the film. The schoolchildren shouted to me in chorus: "Hello, Igor!" Then I had to give a short lecture on the rights of blacks in my homeland.

It turned out that the students arrived on a field trip to the Martin Luther King memorial from neighboring Alabama. As my teacher Jessica explained to me, such excursions have become the norm for many schools in the South of the United States. According to Jessica, in the large cities of the American South, open racism is already virtually eliminated, but in the rural outback, relations between blacks and whites are still quite tense.

“First I found a job in a rural school. So, members of the Ku Klux Klan began to walk not far from my house, Jessica tells me. “By law, they can wear their robes, but they must leave their faces open. Of course, they no longer suit lynching, but I personally felt disgusted with living surrounded by such people, and I returned to my home! "

At the same time, Jessica believes that although urban whites will never tolerate openly racist statements, "they still have a certain suspicion of blacks." Alas, there is a definite explanation for this “distrust” of White. For example, in Atlanta, and in many other cities in the South of the United States, there are "black areas" where whites can drive cars, but are afraid to stop even at gas stations. Blacks, who make up only 12 percent of the US population, commit half of all murders and 54 percent of robberies.

The strange war in the "Paradise Hills"

Interracial problems look somewhat different in the southwestern United States, for example, in California. The main contradictions here are not between blacks and whites, but between blacks and Mexicans in the poorest neighborhoods of cities. In San Diego, such an area is Paradise Hills, popularly nicknamed "gangster paradise". There are approximately equal numbers of blacks and Mexicans living here.

Photo: Robin Nelson / Globallookpress.com

This is not to say that "gangster paradise" amazed me with its poverty. There are quite decent houses around by Russian standards. Only the littered streets and the abundance of fat men are impressive - a sign of poverty in America. In other areas of San Diego, passers-by look at rare smokers with undisguised condemnation - here almost everyone smokes, and cigarette butts are thrown right on the sidewalk.

I decided to explore the situation in the block in a local coffee shop. I ask a white saleswoman if it is dangerous to walk around the area. “You can walk during the day without problems. But in the evening - I do not advise ”, - not at all surprised at my question, the girl answers me with a smile. Just in case, she explains that white people are not touched here so often. For some reason I did not want to check whether this is so or not.

However, what is restless in the area could be seen from the coffee shop - more precisely, from its visitors sitting at their laptops. They were almost equally divided into blacks and Mexicans. Moreover, I did not notice a single mixed company. The only white customer of the establishment sat in splendid isolation: a young man in ripped jeans, but with a painted top hat on his head.

I sat down alternately with the Mexican and black companies and talked to them. “Blacks think that this is only their area. Our youth are resisting. We carry weapons openly, the police are no longer trying to fight this. Clashes happen every night, ”a former security guard and now retired Roberto tells me. “Now whites treat us as equals. Mexicans are not hiding that they consider us blacks, people of the second grade, "- leads its counterproofs sitting just a few meters from Roberto Black Bob - the unemployed weighing 150 kilograms.

After talking with the customers of the coffee shop, I decided to walk through the local shopping area and was immediately stopped by the sellers of contraband cigarettes. Two white old men were engaged in illegal business. They buy their goods in neighboring Mexico, and at home they sell them at prices half as much as in official stores. The extremely friendly smugglers eagerly explained to me that the local whites are neutral in the Mexican-Negro war, and therefore are favorably received by both minorities. “Most Mexicans and blacks are good guys. Someday they will make peace with each other. We, whites, have been ill with racism, but they have not yet, ”my new friends conclude the conversation diplomatically.

In fairness, it should be added that Mexican-Negro tensions are felt only in the lower strata of society. For example, in San Diego, in the middle class quarters, Mexicans and African Americans get along well with each other.

But this tolerance of the educated American Mexicans has undoubtedly taken over from the local whites. For example, in neighboring Mexico and Central American countries (which also have their own blacks), racism flourishes not only among the poor. American travel guides advise African Americans to be as careful as possible south of the border and emphasize all the time that they are not locals, but visitors from the United States.

The computer was invented by the negroes

“To be honest, I don't like driving black people. And it's not even that they often demand to turn on loud music and start dancing right in the car. As a rule, they are much more demanding than whites, they have to be emphasized all the time that they are the owners, and I am just a taxi driver. I understand that in fact this is just a complex, these people just suffer from suspiciousness and it seems to them that I treat them worse than white clients, but this does not make it easier for me! Of course, this does not always happen, for example, almost ideal clients are black military men, but the percentage of overly demanding black clients is still higher than that of whites, ”a Russian-speaking taxi driver from San Diego told me about his problems.

I have also personally observed the suspiciousness of blacks. So, once my neighbor made a remark to Negro teenagers showing suspicious activity at a car parking, and immediately received an angry response in response: "Is it because we are black ?!"

“Once a black student came to me, terribly angry that I gave him a four. During the trial, I accidentally mentioned that when I checked his work, I did not know which of the students wrote it. And then the student was replaced - he instantly ceased to show dissatisfaction. It turns out that he suspected that I had lowered his skin color score! " - a familiar professor tells me.

It is not surprising that with such complexes, blacks simply needed to come up with their own special version of African culture. For example, I was struck by the Museum of African American History in Atlanta. From the exposition it follows that the ancestors of the black civilization were the ancient Egyptians. The museum displays the achievements of modern civilization invented by African Americans. This is a telephone, a radio, and even one of the variants of a computer - to be honest, I just did not remember everything.

“It was beneficial for Whites to imagine that the history of blacks began only after they were slaves in America. In fact, Africa's contribution to world culture is enormous! Not only Ancient Egypt, but also ancient Israel are closely associated with black Africa. It's just that history was deliberately distorted by white scientists! The same thing happened when our ancestors ended up in America. Whites began to brazenly appropriate inventions made by blacks! " - Museum employee Michael McNally convinced me.

Reservation

“Don't intrude! Violators will be shot. The survivors will be shot again! " - I saw a huge poster at the entrance to one of the Indian reservations in California. While I was pondering whether to tempt fate, four Indians drove up to my car on ATVs. "What, I really could have been shot?" I asked half-jokingly, trying to defuse the situation. “Quite. We hate you, ”the unsmiling Indians answered without batting an eye.

Under US law, Indian tribes enjoy broad rights that many minorities can only dream of. In fact, a reservation is a state within a state. There are significant tax breaks for Indian businessmen, and reservations have their own police and tribal courts. American political correctness goes so far that even the word "Indian" in the American media is almost banned: it is replaced by the phrase "Native American".

Permission to open casinos on reservations (gambling is prohibited in other regions of the United States), as well as duty-free sale of cigarettes - a very serious help of the US government to the aborigines of the country. Alas, despite all these perks, Indians still dislike whites.

“Our situation is much worse than that of African Americans. So, for example, even at the beginning of the 20th century, there were slave Indians. We are still strangers to the United States. Let me give you at least one example - the operation to eliminate Osama bin Laden was codenamed "Geronimo". But Geronimo is the legendary leader of the Apache tribe who fought against the American troops. Comparing the legendary Indian leader to the terrorist deeply offended all Indians! This proves once again that the problem of the indigenous people of America has not been solved even today. We are strangers in this country, ”Chug Lowry, a fighter for the rights of the Indians, writer and film director, tries to explain to me the dislike of white people.

According to Mr. Lowry, casino openings cannot fundamentally solve the Indian problem. Today, 65 percent of the tribes have their own gambling houses. However, only ten percent receive enough income to distribute it among all members of the tribe.

Moreover, according to the Indian activist, the permission of the gambling business is even harmful. “In the 19th century, whites tried to assimilate the Indians forcibly. Children were taken to special boarding schools, where students were forbidden to speak their native language and wear national clothes. And for offenses they put on a chain and fed only bread and water. The Indians who resisted the colonialists were killed, and the collaborators were accustomed to "fire water". Now they are trying to deprive us of our identity by more sophisticated methods. The gambling business is deeply alien to Indian culture, it corrupts the natives of America, ”the Indian writer convinces me.

"Don't drink while driving!"

An Indian activist explained to me that the largest reservations are open to tourists, and on his advice, I visited the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. The area of ​​the reservation, which the Indians proudly call the Navajo Nation (and are very offended when they are considered a tribe), is larger than the territory of a country like Latvia. And the reservation really has signs of a state: it has its own government, parliament, flag, police.

The first thing that struck me in the "country of the Indians" - as this corner is called in Arizona - is a very unusual for America inscriptions on roadside billboards like "Don't drink while driving!" Today, all Indian reservations have a strict dry law, and the most impressive buildings are centers for the rehabilitation of alcoholics and drug addicts.

After the usual areas of the United States, it seemed to me that I was in some third world country. The local business is mainly represented by shops selling Indian souvenirs and dried meat according to Indian recipes - jerky.

Trade is carried out in rough, hastily put together sheds or simply on stools set along the roads. I have seen approximately the same bazaars in today's Tajikistan or Russia in the early 90s. Whites are in no hurry to buy monotonous crafts, and if a merchant manages to earn ten dollars a day, this is considered good luck.

An asphalt road connects only the largest settlements reservations, you have to get to small villages by country roads. Electricity and running water are provided only to the main settlements. Many Indians prefer to live on remote farms in the desert - in such houses there is no light or water.

Eskimos and psychos

“North of the 60th parallel, only Eskimos, Indians and psychos live in our country,” they joke in Canada. This joke may well be applied to the inhabitants of the Alaskan bush. This is what they call hard-to-reach areas that are not connected with "civilization" by motorways and railways. You can get there only by air or by river.

Unlike "normal" Alaska, American comfort never came to this part of the United States. Once the Russian settlers taught the natives to build houses, and in the remote villages of the Alaskan bush, classic Siberian huts still prevail today. Plumbing is considered a luxury here, and outdoor toilets are common. Steam heating is also absent, and the classic Russian stove helps people out.

The situation of local Aborigines is worse than that of the native inhabitants of "civilized" America. The fact is that the aborigines live in small (several hundred people) villages, practically not connected with the "big world". Skyscrapers, magnificent roads, luxurious shops - they saw all this only on TV. Their world is completely different: several dozen huts, a village club, a shop with a minimum set of products and endless taiga.

Most of the Indians visited the nearest regional center (several thousand people, one McDonald's, a couple of restaurants and a gas station), but they never saw not only large American cities, but even the only relatively large city in Alaska - Anchorage.

Yes, of course, in any such village there is a quite good school, but this is still not enough to really adapt the Aboriginal people to modern American life. Alaska now has many Aboriginal assistance programs. All shops in the national villages have posters with the phone numbers of the center, where people with psychological and alcoholic problems can be contacted. I even managed to read a book written in prison by an Eskimo author who went to jail for alcohol problems. The main idea of ​​the work is that alcoholism and, as a result, crime of the indigenous peoples of Alaska are associated with the fact that, subconsciously, they still feel worse than whites. The author urges not to be ashamed of yourself and be proud of your culture.

Assimilation or Isolation?

There are two opposite points of view in America on how to solve the problems of the indigenous people of the United States.

“I am striving for the Indians to return to their traditional way of life - they were engaged in hunting, fishing, speaking their native language, worshiping their own gods, not foreign ones. When we are able to revive our traditions, such terrible problems for our peoples as alcoholism, drug addiction, unemployment will disappear, ”Mr. Lowry tells me. This spontaneous follower of Rousseau has already achieved some success - so, he managed to convince the Californian authorities to break dams on some rivers, which allowed the Indians to start fishing again.

The most interesting thing is that, despite some seeming naivety of the writer's judgments, this path is already actively used in some countries. For example, in Australia they have already despaired of civilizing the aborigines. Now, on the contrary, they are encouraged in every possible way to live away from whites, just like their ancestors did. The only differences from the past: guns instead of bows and motor boats instead of pies.

Opponents of the "cultural diversity of the world" ask themselves whether the aborigines themselves want to preserve the traditional, almost primitive way of life? A native of the Indian village, Professor of the University of California Paul Howard came to a meeting with me with a book by Vladimir Arsenyev “Dersu Uzala” translated into English.

“As I understood from this an interesting book, Russians treated their aborigines much more tolerant than white Americans to Indians "- immediately after greeting Mr. Howard said bluntly. According to this assimilated Indian, the reservation is like a suction swamp. Although theoretically any Indian can leave it without any problems, in practice it is difficult to do so due to the cultural divide between Native Americans and whites.

For example, the professor claims that even though an Indian boy can take the bus every day to a white school, his peers will look at him as if he were a dirty little savage. “Today for the Indian there is, in fact, only one way to break out of this quagmire - to go into the army. Our salvation is by no means in isolation, but on the contrary, in assimilation, ”the professor concludes in his hearts.

Perspectives

So, it is obvious that over the past 50 years, the United States has made very great strides in overcoming race disputes. Not only has the direct discrimination against both blacks and Indians disappeared, but any racist speech is considered extremely indecent in society. Almost all Americans today believe that people should be equal, regardless of skin color.

But the problem has shifted to another plane. The lower educational level of African Americans and Indians leads to the fact that they live much poorer than whites. This gives rise to complexes and, as a consequence, a high crime rate among African Americans and alcoholism among Indians.

“I dream that one day this nation will straighten up and live according to the true meaning of its principle:" We consider it self-evident that all people are created equal, "- said Martin Luther King in his famous speech" I have a dream. " Today, that part of the dream of the famous black rights activist has undoubtedly been achieved. But the African American preacher also wanted the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners to sit together at the fraternal table. Alas, until this passionate desire of Martin Luther King has become a reality only partially, and for it to be fully realized, it takes more than one decade.

The expression I put in the title belongs to Wallenstein, a famous commander, mercenary and adventurer. The poor descendant of an ancient noble family not only got involved in a small mess between the Evangelical Union and the Catholic League, but was also one of those who turned it into the Thirty Years' War.

This war has become a real carnage. In Germany alone, more than five million people died, some areas of it were completely depopulated. According to experts, Europe has been recovering the losses incurred over the years for more than a century. Why did Wallenstein untie her? Not just like that, of course. He became one of the richest and most influential people not only in his native Austria, but in the whole world. Hundreds of hectares of land, huge cash, the title of imperial prince and duke - all this the adventurer received in a short time, generously paying with someone else's blood and suffering.

Subsequently, this story was repeated more than once or twice. The characters changed, the time and place of action changed, but the essence remained the same. I will not now list all those who have enriched themselves in two world wars and all kinds of "local conflicts", but I will go straight to the latest world history.

Afghanistan eats up millions of dollars and hundreds of US lives every year to "fight terrorism." This struggle does not seem to subside for a minute, but for some reason it does not give any results. Terrorists are not diminishing, explosions and gunfire have become part of Everyday life... But how can this be? Why can't a huge American war machine defeat a handful of peasants with old Kalash? Where do terrorists get funds and forces for this endless war?

The answer to this question can be found in the report "Contracts with the Enemy", published the other day by the General Inspectorate for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The key points of the report can be read. For those who do not speak English well, I will present the very essence of this stunning text:

Last year alone, the US spent $ 1.7 billion on "rebuilding Afghanistan." At the same time, the expenditure of 80% of these funds was not controlled in any way. They most likely went to contractors directly or indirectly associated with the rebels. That is, people who are extremely interested in harming Americans.

The layout turns out to be very cynical. American taxpayers pay out of their own pockets for the "fight against terrorism." A considerable part of this money is taken into the pockets of all kinds of fraudsters and adventurers, such modern Wallensteins. In addition, these same taxpayers finance the terrorists themselves through a long chain of intermediaries. And although most of the dollars creeps into the pockets of intermediaries, some of these billions still reach the straightforward guys who are ready to shoot, blow up and cut for a modest price.

Ordinary people pay huge taxes, risk their lives and health, suffer, die. Those who like to fight with someone else's hands earn billions and ducal titles. For all the screams about democracy and progress, this sad picture has not changed at all since the days of Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein.

War still feeds war. Us.

Good day friends.

First of all, I want to express my deepest and completely sincere gratitude to Oksana, whose article made me throw away laziness, forget about fatigue and poke at Klava for about half an hour (the keyboard, if that :))

Actually, initially I wanted to give an answer in the comments, but when I figured out how big this answer could be, I put it in a separate post. I ask Oksana not to be offended for this.

Three things are needed for war. Money, day and more money. It was spoken by a certain Montecuccoli in the 17th century.

Everything is correct. The great commander and theorist of military affairs, the imperial generalissimo of the 17th century, Raimondo Montecuccoli, knew what he was talking about.

There is nowhere in a war without money. Moreover, sometimes these very wars were started precisely for this purpose, in order to get these very denyushki.

For, as mentioned in the same article "War feeds war" ... This statement belongs to Albrecht von Wallenstein, also, oddly enough, an imperial generalissimo of the 17th century.

And Wallenstein also knew what he was talking about.

I am sincerely glad that Oksana mentioned the Thirty Years War. Actually, the Thirty Years War is a proper name, and not just a designation of its duration, but oh well.

A brilliant confirmation of this is the history of the Thirty Years War. Especially her ending. When rivals exhausted by decades of war were simply forced to fight according to the principle that war feeds war. Again, no. The armies did not starve to death. They survived very well for themselves. Only here is one subtle point. In densely populated areas of Germany in the 17th century, and ... And they were forced to conduct hostilities not where the operational situation demanded. and those where there was something to devour. Those. in other words, the war was forgotten, and the troops stupidly prowled in search of food, in more or less surviving villages, forgetting about everything except this noble occupation

True, there are some subtleties. The fact is that the principle "war feeds war" was in effect not at the end of the war, but literally from its first days. It was in the early years that the homeless adventurer Mansfeld was an active protagonist of the Thirty Years War, who over and over again rallied many thousands of mercenary armies around his personal person. Where does the money come from? Yes, all from the same place. I am frankly too lazy now (yes, yes, I was too lazy to overcome until the end :) to look for serious sources, but this is what Mansfeld's actions are said in pedivics:

After Pilsen's surrender, he gathered around him most of the scattered Czech army, as well as British and Palatinate troops, earning them food for the war, until the autumn of 1621 held out in the Upper Palatinate, then crossed the Rhine and successfully fought with Tilly and the Spaniards, devastated everywhere and he took over winter quarters from Hagenau.

Now comes the fun part. Oksana writes.

And perhaps the only exception to this rule .... Well, of course, our Batu Khan. Not possessing even remote hints of army convoys, but passed through a hungry field, Russian and Polish forests, Hungarian plains, and managed not only to survive and save the army, but also to achieve their goals

I honestly did not quite understand.

Firstly, where did it come from that Batu did not have carts?

Secondly, why is the same steppe that for centuries served as a home and perfectly fed crowds of nomads - the same Polovtsy, Pechenegs, Scythians, Sarmatians, Roxolans, and later the Tatars, suddenly, during the approach of Batu, became a "hungry field"?

So Oksana herself said that "war feeds war" What is the problem then?

Well, yes, the key phrase is obviously this one

In densely populated areas of 17th century Germany

Quite right. However, let's make a comparison. In the Thirty Years War, the armies of the Holy Roman Empire, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Spain, France, and this is not counting the armies of small German states such as Saxony, Weimar, Bavaria, marched back and forth for thirty years back and forth across this very densely populated Germany. and, of course, not counting the mercenary armies of the various Mansfelds. All this in aggregate, in terms of numbers, was dozens of times larger than all the hordes of Batu taken together.

Moreover, Batu's campaign to North-Eastern Russia lasted only six months. The difference is obvious.

Further, Oksana has a long description of what a khurut is, he is also a kurta. There is a description of its nutritional properties and taste. Only, you will forgive Oksana, but I learned about this dry cottage cheese right now and from you. This despite the fact that I have been interested in the Mongol conquests for thirty-five years, since school. Can you show me a source that assures that Batu's campaign was possible thanks to this khurutu-kurt? In general, I recommend that you slightly change the accents in the article and it will make an excellent text for the advertising booklet of this kurta. If that I have a share :)

Now about the arrows. You, I hope, will not assure you that in the Russian forests, which all alternative people like to use so trump cards, the Mongols could not find a suitable material for making arrows? And also that suitable material could not be found in Russian villages? And even more so in Russian cities? This is not to mention the trophy arrows and the prepared materials for them, which were probably stored, simply could not help but be stored in the same Russian cities? Or did the Russians have bows of the wrong caliber?

The weight of the arrowhead, by the way, is only one-seventh, well, maximum one-fifth of the weight of the arrow itself. If you take only tips with you, even if it is in the amount of 400-500, which is already an overkill, and a couple of hundred was enough, then this will amount to only 4-5 kg ​​per warrior. In reality, however, 2 kg. During the entire campaign against Russia, there were only four major battles. Four. For all six months. Of these, only two were attended by all or most of Batu's troops. For six months of the hike.

About at minus 20, sleep in a snowdrift "Is not even funny. Have the bonfires been canceled? Or was it impossible to find firewood for fires in those same eerily dense Russian forests from the word at all?

In total, just like that offhand, the total weight of the carried with him, on such a long winter trip, not counting the actual weapons and armor, for one steppe warrior, dances in the range of 120-150 kg. A total of two pack horses. Not just two, but packs. but in total we get at least 4. Main, clockwork, 2 packs

Two pack horses. Or one pack horse and one cart or sleigh for as many as three or four warriors. And even five, because as it turns out, 50 kg of arrows for one soldier do not need to be dragged.

About the food of the horses and the Mongols themselves has been spoken and discussed, including me, just immeasurably, at least here

I will not repeat myself.

But we try to understand. How, then, did the Mongolian tumens have supermobility? They had 4 hours a day to move. Maximum 30-40 km per day. Top of optimism. 10 km per hour?

Yes Yes. Top of optimism. After all, it would seem that what could be simpler, take a map, measure the distances, look at the chronology of the campaign and calculate how much the Mongols passed on an average daily basis? But no. No other alternative has ever thought of such a simple action. But the Evil Goblin was not too lazy. The Evil Goblin has counted.

We are not talking about any 40, 35 or even 30 km per day.

But something really made me happy once again. So you say only 4 hours a day crossing. And what did the Mongols do the other 20 hours a day? Well, it is clear that some detachments were engaged in foraging, some time was spent on setting up a camp, looking for firewood and lighting a fire, cooking and eating food, sleeping. And the rest of the time? What else can a warrior do on a campaign during a few free hours, if not repairing equipment and making arrows, if necessary? Oksana, I sincerely hope that you will not assure us that Mongolian arrows can be made exclusively at the Tank Factory. Kirov using CNC machines?

But this is already a pearl ..

Now I would like to hear. how, with an average speed of 35 km per day, the Mongols managed to be more mobile than the Russian squads. Sitting on horses, accustomed to oats, not doomed to a semi-daily tebenevka, and mighty move not 4 hours a day, but 14-16? It is suggested to believe that the average speed of a Russian vigilante's horse on the march is no more than 2.5 km / h? It's funny.

Dear Oksana. Mobility directly in battle and the mobility of the army as a whole are like two very big differences. If you can prove to me that in battle a horse archer, with light weapons, in light armor, on a small nimble horse, was less mobile than a heavily armed, heavily armored knight on a knight's horse, and that was exactly what the Russian warriors were, then I have a bottle of champagne. That's it.

PySy. In the comments under her article, Oksana asks:

I’ll just repeat the question. How, being twice as fast as even the infantry, did the Mugals manage to catch at least someone by surprise?

The expression I put in the title belongs to Wallenstein, a famous commander, mercenary and adventurer. The poor descendant of an ancient noble family not only got involved in a small mess between the Evangelical Union and the Catholic League, but was also one of those who turned it into the Thirty Years' War.

This war has become a real carnage. In Germany alone, more than five million people died, some areas of it were completely depopulated. According to experts, Europe has been recovering the losses incurred over the years for more than a century. Why did Wallenstein untie her? Not just like that, of course. He became one of the richest and most influential people not only in his native Austria, but in the whole world. Hundreds of hectares of land, huge funds, the title of imperial prince and duke - all this the adventurer received in a short time, generously paying with someone else's blood and suffering.

Subsequently, this story was repeated more than once or twice. The characters changed, the time and place of action changed, but the essence remained the same. I will not now list all those who have enriched themselves in two world wars and all kinds of "local conflicts", but I will go straight to the latest world history.

Afghanistan eats up millions of dollars and hundreds of US lives every year to "fight terrorism." This struggle does not seem to subside for a minute, but for some reason it does not give any results. Terrorists are not decreasing, explosions and gunfire have become a part of everyday life. But how can this be? Why can't a huge American war machine defeat a handful of peasants with old Kalash? Where do terrorists get funds and forces for this endless war?

The answer to this question can be found in the report "Contracts with the Enemy", published the other day by the General Inspectorate for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The key points of the report can be read. For those who do not speak English well, I will present the very essence of this stunning text:

Last year alone, the US spent $ 1.7 billion on "rebuilding Afghanistan." At the same time, the expenditure of 80% of these funds was not controlled in any way. They most likely went to contractors directly or indirectly associated with the rebels. That is, people who are extremely interested in harming Americans.

The layout turns out to be very cynical. American taxpayers pay out of their own pockets for the "fight against terrorism." A considerable part of this money is taken into the pockets of all kinds of fraudsters and adventurers, such modern Wallensteins. In addition, these same taxpayers finance the terrorists themselves through a long chain of intermediaries. And although most of the dollars creeps into the pockets of intermediaries, some of these billions still reach the straightforward guys who are ready to shoot, blow up and cut for a modest price.

Ordinary people pay huge taxes, risk their lives and health, suffer, die. Those who like to fight with someone else's hands earn billions and ducal titles. For all the screams about democracy and progress, this sad picture has not changed at all since the days of Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein.

War still feeds war. Us.

The war would be a picnic if it weren't for lice and dysentery.
Margaret Mitchell

We are told that war is murder. No: this is suicide.
Ramsay McDonald

Prologue of the 20th century - a gunpowder factory. Epilogue - the barrack of the Red Cross.
Vasily Klyuchevsky

War is mostly a catalog of blunders.
Winston Churchill

What is required of a soldier is first of all endurance and patience; courage is the second thing.
Napoleon I

The soldier is the last link in the evolution of the animal world.
John Steinbeck

War is a series of disasters leading to victory.
Georges Clemenceau

Any war is popular for the first thirty days.
Arthur Schlesinger

There is no second prize for the losers in war.
Omar Bradley

You can't become a good soldier without a bit of stupidity.
Florence Nightingale

There are no winners in a war - only losers.
Arthur Neville Chamberlain

Everything is simple in war, but the simplest is extremely difficult.
Karl Clausewitz

A general is a corporal who has been promoted many times.
Gabriel Laub

Either humanity will end war, or war will end humanity.
John F. Kennedy

If our soldiers understood why we are fighting, it would be impossible to wage a single war.
Frederick the Great

Most quick way to end the war - to lose it.
George Orwell

A British soldier will stand up to anyone but the British Department of Defense.
George Bernard Shaw

The first victim of war is truth.
Johnson Hirum

War is too important a matter to be trusted by the military.
Georges Clemenceau

War is a traumatic epidemic.
Nikolay Pirogov

Nothing raises morale like a dead general.
John Masters

Every war between Europeans is a civil war.
Victor Hugo

The worst thing, apart from the lost battle, is the battle won.
Duke of Wellington

Ultimately, a soldier's knapsack is no heavier than a prisoner's chains.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

There will be no World War III veterans.
Walter Mondale

War is the continuation of politics by other means.
Karl Clausewitz

An officer cannot be a good commander if he is no longer afraid of the corporal at all.
Bruce Marshall

I do not know of a single people who would have been enriched as a result of victory.
Voltaire

Winning a war is as impossible as winning an earthquake.
Jannett Rankin

Almost every general starts with a soldier and only then takes on officers.
Bohuslav Voinar

The flourishing of military sciences is possible only in peacetime.
Don Aminado

Anyone who tries to evade combat duty is not genuinely insane.
Joseph Heller

If the outcome of the war could have been foreseen, all wars would have ended.
Karol Bunsch

Wars start when they want, but end when they can.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Children and generals love to scare others.
Wojciech Zhukrowski

A career officer is a person whom we feed in peacetime, so that in war time he sent us to the front.
Gabriel Laub

How is the world governed and wars flared up? Diplomats lie to journalists and believe their own lies by reading them in the newspapers.
Karl Kraus

If the enemy is not threatening, the army is in danger.
Arkady Davidovich

Generals are a striking case of developmental delays. Who among us has not dreamed of being a general at the age of five?
Peter Ustinov

This war will end wars. And the next one too.
David Lloyd George

The old people declare war, and the young go to die.
Herbert Hoover

War is just a cowardly escape from peacetime problems.
Thomas Mann

The war is over only when the last soldier is buried.
Alexander Suvorov

Why are the generals so stupid? Because they are recruited from among the colonels.
Jean Cocteau