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Ngasekupheleni kukaMeyi walo nyaka, isithunywa esikhethekile sikaMongameli uDonald Trump sokulawulwa kwezikhali saqhosha phambi kwenhlangano yezokucwaninga yaseWashington ukuthi uhulumeni wase-US uzimisele ukukhipha iRussia neChina ukuze awine umjaho omusha wezikhali zenuzi. "Umengameli ukubeke kwacaca ukuthi sinomkhuba ozanyiwe futhi oyiqiniso lapha," esho. “Siyazi ukuthi siyinqoba kanjani le mijaho futhi siyakwazi ukuchitha isitha singanakwa.”
Lawa mazwana abengekho emgqeni wesikhulu sokuphatha uTrump. Ngempela, emuva ngoDisemba 2016, ngemva nje kokukhethwa kwakhe, uTrump ngokwakhe wamemezela ukuthi i-United States "izoqinisa kakhulu futhi yandise" uhlelo lukahulumeni wase-US lwezikhali zenuzi, wengeza ngokucasulayo: "Makube umjaho wezikhali. Sizobadlula kuwo wonke amaphasi bese sibadlula bonke.” Enselele entsha eRussia naseChina, eyethulwa ngo-Okthoba 2018, uTrump uphinde wasincoma isinqumo sakhe sokuwina umjaho wezikhali zenuzi, echaza: "Sinemali eningi ukwedlula noma ngubani, kuze kube manje."
Futhi, empeleni, abaphathi bakaTrump balandele isithembiso sabo sokuthela amadola entela aseMelika emjahweni wezikhali ngokunwetshwa okukhulu kwesabelomali samasosha aseMelika. Ngo-2019 kuphela (unyaka odlule lapho kutholakala khona izibalo zokusebenzisa imali emhlabeni wonke), ukusetshenziswa kwemali kombuso kwezempi yase-US kukhuphuke kwafinyelela ku-$732 billion. (Abanye abahlaziyi bezempi, ababehlanganisa imali ehlobene nezempi, babeka lesi sibalo kuma-dollar ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-1.25.) Ngenxa yalokho, i-United States, enamaphesenti angaba ngu-4 enani labantu emhlabeni, yenza amaphesenti angu-38 emali echithwa kwezempi emhlabeni wonke. Nakuba kuyiqiniso ngempela ukuthi ezinye izizwe nazo zazibandakanyeke ekwakhiweni kwezempi, iChina yaba ngamaphesenti angu-14 kuphela okusetshenziswa kwezempi emhlabeni wonke ngalowo nyaka, kuyilapho iRussia yaba ngamaphesenti amathathu kuphela. Ngempela, i-United States yachitha imali eningi kwezempi yayo kunamazwe alandelayo ayi-3 ehlangene.
Ukuphakama okukhulu kwezempi okujatshulelwa yi-United States, nokho, bekunganele ekuphathweni kukaTrump. NgoFebhuwari 2020, abaphathi bethula isiphakamiso sesabelomali sonyaka wezimali ka-2021 esasizonikela ngamaphesenti angama-55 emali esetshenziswa nguhulumeni wobumbano engama-dollar ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane eziyi-1.3 kwezempi. Ngo-2030, ingxenye yezempi yesabelomali sombuso izokhuphuka ibe ngamaphesenti angama-62.
Namuhla, cishe ezinyangeni ezine kamuva, lokhu okubaluleke kakhulu ekusetshenzisweni kwezempi kungase kushaye abantu baseMelika abaningi njengento eyinqaba. Phela, ubhubhane lwezifo lusaqhubeka nokuhlupha isizwe (njengoba sekufe abantu abangaphezu kuka-117,850 kuze kube manje), ingxenye enkulu yomnotho ibhidlikile, ukuntuleka kwemisebenzi sekufinyelele emazingeni ayinhlekelele Yokuwohloka Okukhulu Kwezomnotho, namadolobha aseMelika akhungethwe izingxabano. Bekungeke yini kube isikhathi esifanele lesi sokugxilisa izinsiza zezezimali zaseMelika ekunakekelweni kwezempilo komphakathi, ithuba lemfundo, izindlu ezisezingeni eliphezulu, nohlelo olukhulu lwemisebenzi―noma, ngokwamagama omthethosisekelo wase-US, “ukuthuthukisa inhlalakahle evamile”? Kepha izikhulu zaseRiphabhlikhi zithi lezi nezinye izindlela zokusiza umphakathi “ziyabiza kakhulu.”
Okungambi eqolo yizinhlelo zokuphatha zezikhali zamathikithi amakhulu, okuthi, ngisho nangezinga lezempi, zibe nenani elingabazekayo. Akumangazi ukuthi uTrump waqhubeka nokuthela imali ekuthengeni indiza yempi ka-Lockheed Martin, i-F-35, okwathi, nakuba inhlekelele yokusebenza, yadla abakhokhi bentela base-US u-$1.4 trillion ngo-2017. Enye iphrojekthi yezilwane ezifuywayo, eyamukelwa ngokushesha nguTrump, yayiyinkampani entsha yezindiza yase-US futhi ebiza kakhulu. , ilethwe nge-fanfare ku-Navy ngasekupheleni kukaMeyi 2017 nge-$ 13 billion. Inkinga yayo kuphela ukuthi ibe nobunzima bokwethula izindiza ukusuka emphemeni wayo nokwenza lula ukuhlala kwazo. Enye futhi iphrojekthi yezempi ebiza kakhulu ukuvikela imicibisholo yase-US. Eyayidelelwa ekuqaleni ngokuthi "Izimpi Zenkanyezi" ngenkathi uRonald Reagan eqala ukuyikhangisa ngeminyaka yawo-1980, isiphenduke into ekhathaza abantu baseRiphabhulikhi, abakwazile ukuthola imali engaphezu kwezigidigidi ezingama- $250 kuhulumeni wase-US ngayo kuze kube manje. Noma kunjalo, iyaqhubeka nokuhluleka uvivinyo lwayo oluningi ngokumelene nemicibisholo ye-ballistic ye-intercontinental, naphezu kweqiniso lokuthi lezi zivivinyo zibhalwe kakhulu.
Enye yamaphrojekthi amanje wezikhali zempi kahulumeni wase-US umcibisholo we-hypersonic. Ikwazi ukuhamba izikhathi ezi-5 ngokushesha kunejubane lomsindo (3,800 MPH), imicibisholo ye-hypersonic enamakhanda ezikhali zenuzi ithandeka kakhulu ezikhungweni zempi zaseRussia, China, nase-United States. Nokho, nakulokhu, kunenkinga engathi sína: uma kubhekwa ijubane elimangalisayo lomcibisholo, ukhiqiza ukushisa okukhulu lapho uhamba emkhathini, ngaleyo ndlela uwuphambukise noma uwubhubhise ngaphambi kokuba ufinyelele lapho ohlosiwe. Noma kunjalo, le phrojekthi yezikhali kufanele ikhiqize enye futhi i-bonanza ye-Lockheed Martin, umkhiqizi omkhulu wezikhali emhlabeni, osethole amaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-3.5 ngomsebenzi wokuqala kuwo.
Vele, abaphathi bakaTrump abakhohlwanga ngezikhali zabo zobuchwepheshe obuphezulu ezisebenzayo. Izikhali zenuzi zaseMelika eziyizi-5,800, ezikwazi ukwethulwa emhlabeni, olwandle, nasemoyeni, zinikeza amandla omlilo amangalisayo-ngaphezu kokwanele ukucekela phansi impilo eningi emhlabeni. Izikhali zenuzi zamanje, nokho, zibukwa njengenganele ngabaphathi bakaTrump, ababambe iqhaza ohlelweni olukhulu “lwesimanje” lokwakha kabusha yonke inkimbinkimbi yezikhali zenuzi, okuhlanganisa izindawo ezintsha zokukhiqiza, izinhloko zempi, amabhomu, nezinhlelo zokulethwa kwezidingo. Intengo yalokhu kwakhiwa kwezikhali zenuzi, okuzokwenzeka eminyakeni engamashumi amathathu ezayo, ilinganiselwa okungenani njengezigidigidi eziyi-1.5 zamarandi.
Ngokumelene nesizinda sokuwa komnotho nenhlalo, kanye nokucekelwa phansi komhlaba okungaba khona, into esobala okumelwe yenziwe wukuphuma kulo mjaho wezikhali obiza kakhulu futhi oyinqaba, esikhundleni salokho, ukhuthaze ukulawulwa kwezikhali kanye nezivumelwano zokuhoxiswa kwezikhali nezinye izizwe. Kepha uTrump ubukeka ezimisele ukulahla noma iyiphi inqubekelaphambili ngale ndlela abandulele ngayo, echitha iSivumelwano se-INF, ehoxa esivumelwaneni senuzi sase-Iran, eqeda iSivumelwano Sokuqala Esisha, futhi echitha iSivumelwano Esivulekile Sezulu. Ngenxa yezizathu ezahlukahlukene—izinkampani ezinkulu eziklomelisa, ukuqokwa kabusha, kanye nokubusa umhlaba—uTrump uhlala egxile “ekunqobeni” umjaho wezikhali.
Uma kukhulunywa ngabantu baseMelika abaya ngokuya bephelelwa yithemba, izimpilo zabo nendlela yabo yokuziphilisa ihlehla, umyalezo wakhe ubonakala uthi: Mabadle izikhali. Z
UDkt. Lawrence Wittner, ohlanganiswe yi-PeaceVoice, unguSolwazi Womlando ophuma e-SUNY/Albany kanye nombhali we-Confronting the Bomb (Stanford University Press).