How Our Republic Dies

Endless war, executive overreach, and the betrayal of the American soldier.

“If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” Abraham Lincoln, Lyceum Address 1838

America’s perpetual wars are not signs of strength, but symptoms of a republic drifting away from constitutional restraint, accountability, and moral clarity.

In the beginning

I was once a young, idealistic American soldier. I blindly believed in American ideals and her democratic leaders. I was certain that our nation’s elected representatives had the best interests of the country at heart. I was convinced that no president or Congress would place America’s sons and daughters in harm’s way without the best of justifications. Such belief is essential to those in uniform, who may die, be physically mauled for life, or psychologically scarred in pursuit of a hopefully just war’s aims. Tragically, my beliefs are now badly battered. Why is the topic of this brief essay.

Poorly selected objectives

President George W. Bush initiated a war in Afghanistan in October of 2001 to remove the Taliban from power, so they could no longer give shelter to al-Qaida, the overlords of the attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon. He later chose to invade Iraq in March of 2003. Nobody seems to understand why. Iraq had nothing whatsoever to do with the tragic events of 9/11. In any case, choosing to fight two long wars simultaneously was always a fool’s errand. The absurd notion that America could bestow sustainable democracy and liberal order on either country is reflective of both arrogance and naivete. History has more than proven this point. The costs in both blood and treasure were extraordinary, for both us and our NATO allies.

Congressional cowardice

Because Congress has continually abrogated its constitutional responsibility to declare war since WWII, successive presidents have made a mess of it, this one included. Ask yourself a question: an entire American generation grew from childhood to adulthood while at war in Afghanistan and Iraq. What did we achieve? Is America safer for those conflicts—part of the never-ending American Global War on Terror? Remember, before that, it was Vietnam. Now, it is an unnecessary conflict of choice with Iran. War is supposed to be the last resort when all other means have been exhausted, and not a go-to solution for misinformed, impatient, or petulant chief executives. There is no doubt that these outcomes are the result of Congressional cowardice.

History’s clear lessons ignored

The expenditure of thousands of Americans’ lives and trillions of U.S. dollars in these previous wars has accomplished little. The clear winner in Vietnam was the North. The clear winner in Afghanistan was the Taliban. The clear winner in Iraq was Iran. Although it may be emotionally satisfying to kill those we designate as terrorists, the many dead have gotten us no closer to either victory or peace. Is it our national strategy to just keep killing? If so, we will be doing so for an exceedingly long time. The Global War on Terror is a conflict that has no exit ramp. There are always potential extremists waiting in the wings of the global theater.

War lacking justification

But what is the problem? We have won all the battles. However, we have lost the wars and seem to be deep into the process of losing this conflict as well. Our sons and daughters have died on foreign battlefields while we were told repeatedly, “They are defending our freedom.” Although that rationale once held water with me, it no longer does so. In the modern era, the Taliban never directly threatened our liberties. The Iraqi version of ISIS morphed back into what it once was: a fanatical religious movement that holds no land mass. And Iran was often satisfied to act through regional proxies so long as the Ayatollahs and militarists remained in control in Tehran.

Another war of choice

In Iran today, Mr. Trump continues to slog on in the vain hope of finding “something” that looks like victory so he can declare himself a winner. This Oval Office desperately needs something for all the sunk costs—a minimum of a billion dollars daily. The mid-term elections could easily be lost by his political party if the conflict continues. If that happens, he knows that his impeachment may follow. So, exactly what is our military fighting for? I don’t know. This administration does not know either. But our soldiers do what they have always done, they perish in faraway lands, not for oil or riches, but because they believe in our nation, what it once stood for, and hopefully will again.

At the end

I was once a young, idealistic American soldier. I am no longer young, and my idealism is in tatters. I want to believe in the common sense of our people; the best intentions of our Congress; and the integrity of our government. However, these wasteful and stupid wars started by repetitive presidents must terminate. Only Congress possesses the legal constitutional authority to declare war. That authority must be reasserted. If not, this is how our soldiers’ loyalty is squandered. This is how our soldiers’ trust is abused. This is how our soldiers’ belief in the nation is trampled. This is how our soldiers’ lives are lost. If I may speak for them, our soldiers have but one request of their elected leadership: “Do not permit our sacrifice to be in vain. If we are to die, it must be in a just cause that is supported by our fellow citizens.” If we do not reclaim our country by remaining true to the law in pursuit of the aspirations laid down in our Constitution, this is how our republic dies.

With special thanks to Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Timothy Grimmett

Robert Bruce Adolph , a qualified Military Strategist,is a retired senior US Army Special Forces soldier. He holds graduate degrees in both National Security Studies & International Affairs and was formally trained as a counterintelligence special agent. Robert also taught university level courses in American Government, US History, and World Politics. Following his retirement from the active military, he joined the UN, subsequently seeing service in Sierra Leone, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Indonesia and more, culminating in the role of Chief of the Middle East and North Africa at UN Headquarters in New York. He is the author of “Surviving the United Nations,” now out in a second edition. He is a member of The Steady State.

Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 400 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.