“The economy - once a great scatter of small productive units in autonomous balance, has become dominated by two or three hundred giant corporations, administratively and politically interrelated... The political order, once a decentralized set of several dozen states with a weak spinal cord, has become a centralized executive establishment which has taken up into itself many powers previously scattered... The military order, once a slim establishment in a context of distrust fed by state militia, has become the largest and most expensive feature of government.” TwoStatesGovernmentPoliticalOrderThreeEconomyTakenMilitaryBalanceHundredWeakCorporationsFeaturesGiantsExpensiveProductiveExecutivesFedsEstablishmentDozenUnitsDistrustCordsMilitiaSlimAutonomousSpinal Cord Author:C. Wright Mills
“There is no lack of bravery in the ranks of our armed forces, but bureaucratic cowardice rules in our intelligence establishment (as well as at the higher levels of military command).” WellsForceLevelsMilitaryHigherBraveryCommandEstablishmentCowardiceHigher LevelArmed ForcesMilitary Command Book:Beyond Terror Source: Beyond Terror
“The imperialistic or capitalistic system occupies areas. It occupies Vietnam now. They occupy them by sending soldiers there, by sending policeman there. The policemen or soldiers are only a gun in the establishments hand. They make the racist secure in his racism. The gun in the establishment's hand makes the establishment secure in its exploitation.” WarHandsBlackMilitaryArmsRacismGunAreasPoliceSoldierActivismSecureRacistVietnamEstablishmentExploitationPolicemen Author:Huey Newton
“Thus far the chief purpose of our military establishment has been to win wars. From now on its chief purpose must be to avert them. It can have almost no other useful purpose.” Has BeensWarPurposeWinningMilitaryChiefsEstablishmentAvert Book:The Development of Nuclear Strategy Source: The Development of Nuclear Strategy
“There is ...a huge tacit conspiracy between the U.S. government, its agencies and its multinational corporations, on the one hand, and local business and military cliques in the Third World, on the other, to assume complete control of these countries and "develop" them on a joint venture basis. The military leaders of the Third World were carefully nurtured by the U.S. security establishment to serve as the "enforcers" of this joint venture partnership, and they have been duly supplied with machine guns and the latest data on methods of interrogation of subversives.” WorldHas BeensCountryHandsGovernmentLeaderSecurityMilitaryHugeGunMachinesThirdsBasesMethodAssumingLocalsDataCorporationsAgencyEstablishmentConspiracyPartnershipVentureJointsThird WorldCliqueInterrogationMultinationalsMachine GunsTacitMilitary LeaderMultinational CorporationsJoint VenturesLocal Business Author:Edward S. Herman
“In 1988, when democracy was restored, the military establishment was still very powerful. The extremist groups were still there. And when the aid and assistance to Pakistan was cut, we had to adopt harsh economic policies. So in a way, it showed that democracy doesn't pay, and the military was able to reassert itself.” WayStillsAblePowerfulPayDemocracyCuttingGroupsEconomicMilitaryPolicyAidsEstablishmentHarshAssistancePakistanVery PowerfulExtremistEconomic PolicyExtremist Groups Author:Benazir Bhutto
“I'm not a representative of the military establishment. I came in with the Reagan Administration in 1981 as a presidential appointee.” MilitaryAdministrationPresidentialEstablishmentRepresentatives Author:Fred Ikle
“The governments and the hard-headed military establishment and the general conservative part of America have never taken much interest in democracy, anyway.” HardGovernmentAmericaInterestDemocracyTakenMilitaryConservativeEstablishment Author:Amartya Sen
“It [9/11 event] was aimed at symbols: the World Trade Center, the heart of American capitalism, and the Pentagon, the headquarters of the American military establishment. But it was not meant to be argued with. It wasn't part of any negotiation. No message was intended with it. It spoke for itself, which is unusual.” WorldHeartMilitaryEventsMessagesCapitalismTradeSymbolsSpokesMeant To BeUnusualEstablishmentNegotiationPentagonWorld TradeWorld Trade CenterHeadquartersAmerican MilitaryAmerican CapitalismWere Not Meant To Be Author:Edward Said
“Speaking as a New Yorker, I found it a shocking and terrifying event [9/11], particularly the scale of it. At bottom, it was an implacable desire to do harm to innocent people. It was aimed at symbols: the World Trade Center, the heart of American capitalism, and the Pentagon, the headquarters of the American military establishment.” PeopleWorldHeartDesireFoundMilitaryEventsCapitalismTradeBottomHarmScalesInnocentSymbolsEstablishmentShockingNew YorkersPentagonWorld TradeWorld Trade CenterHeadquartersAmerican MilitaryAmerican Capitalism Author:Edward Said