Certainly from a utopian/socially progressive standpoint, it would appear good. From a geopolitical standpoint with the current aggressive politics from China and Russia... I'm not sure it's so good.
We kill an incredible amount of civilians as well.
Supposedly this article is well researched with sources but it is trivial to search for 'civilian deaths in x' and get results in the 100k to million range.
Only in the minds of children. Utopias never work because corruption, greed and ignorance bring tyranny, fear and misery.
Progress is also a populist myth to wish away human nature, and the forces of nature, like some flu that will subside. Technology, communication and economics can make it seem plausible by increasing accountability when people maybe watching,
however technological, technique and social “progress” are destroyed often, not just the Dark Ages: pyramid building, Antikythera device, Nepenthe, Silphium (extinct). Also, sometimes people forget about how good were features of something which came before but are now missing because the “new is supposed to always progres over the old,” even when it doesn’t. Finally, socialization and education cannot miracle away the possibility of one human murdering another for no discernible reason. People are mostly irrational,
unpredictable animals still stuck in antropocentric delusions of superiority.
If you want peace, prepare for war. is explainable because life is about gaining,
controlling and defending the most resources for the least risk. If one could invade a pacifist country containing a quadrillion dollars of value, every country would. Actually, almost all humans on planet would gladly rationalize or cognitively dissonance away committing every conceivable “evil” in order to secure enormous wealth and power for themselves and their future genetic dynasty.
Sorry what am I supposed to be afraid of taking all our shit? Canada? China? ISIS? Not exactly scared...
It's not exactly utopian to think a large part of US military expenditure and military activity currently performed is a complete waste, especially if the concern is defending the Homeland (from what, car bombers? It's questionable if foreign adventurism helps or hurts, and most of that is domestic anyways. Or maybe Canada will invade).
Thanks to the geographical position and size of the US, there really isn't any threat like that that couldn't be seen from years to decades ahead, unless the Russians have a secret and gigantic Navy we don't know about. We purposefully barely even had a military for much of our history compared to many other world powers and it didn't matter because they were over there and we are big enough and wealthy enough to ramp up when they do.
Not being able to supply one's own arms doesn't mean one doesn't buy them, just that they cost more and that one's leverage in alliances is greatly reduced. This is the situation many countries have been in, vis-a-vis the US -- Germany and Britain and Egypt and so many others -- for decades.
There are other countries out there who've thought through this problem. It's unlikely Russia depends on anyone for arms. I'm sure Israel is able to supply much its own munitions -- perhaps the US will end up buying from them.