Boeing is emblematic of the late stage American empire, where neoliberal, financial looting takes precedence over national security. The two lost astronauts, who NASA insists “are not stranded in space,” represent just how far a once great company–Boeing –and by extension–America have fallen.

The United States has been undergoing a profound and radical transformation and has lost ground in every single category that defines the power and status of a nation in relation to its rivals.
There are a range of factors of why this is so, from the economic, to cultural, technological and military factors. America’s de-industrialized economy is now deeply affected by a loss of small and middle-size businesses and the implosion of the US commercial aerospace industry. 

NASA is planning to significantly delay the launch of the Crew 9 mission to the International Space Station due to ongoing concerns about the Starliner spacecraft currently attached to the station. As of late last week, NASA still had not decided whether the Starliner vehicle, which is built and operated by Boeing, should be used to fly its two crew members home. During its launch and ascent to the space station two months ago, five small thrusters on the Starliner spacecraft failed. After extensive ground testing of the thrusters, as well as some brief in-space firings, NASA had planned to make a decision last week on whether to return Starliner with crew. However, a Flight Readiness Review planned for last Thursday was delayed after internal disagreements at NASA about the safety of Starliner.

Boeing has been in terminal decline for years, culminating with their 737 Max debacle, where two 737 MAX planes crashed, killing 346 people on board in 2018 and 2019. Then there’s the 777, where Boeing has grounded its 777X test fleet after discovering a severed thrust link on one test aircraft during a routine inspection in Hawaii. Further checks revealed cracks in the assemblies of two other planes. And don’t forget about the 787 “Dreamliner,” where Boeing is investigating a new quality problem with the plane after discovering that hundreds of fasteners have been incorrectly installed on the fuselages of some undelivered jets.

What’s apparent is that a fixation on short-term earning, driven in large part by corporate stock buybacks has crippled American manufacturing. Thanks to the neoliberal economic policies, not only has the Western industrial base been outsourced to make rich people richer, young people are essentially being asked to fight in a future war that will defend an economic system that is fucking them over.

The apparent conclusion—uncomfortable if not unthinkable for neoliberal economists and their corporate media choir —is that MBA/finance thinking and decision-making is not just unhelpful but actively hostile and destructive to running a successful, functional company.

Who would have thought such a thing?

Every economy, as heterodox economist Michael Hudson endlessly asserts, is managed. The political question becomes just who manages it. Thanks to the successful neoliberal counterattack, the US transformed from the productive, New Deal economy, managed by our elected representatives to an extractive economy managed by Wall Street.

The wee, little problem is that you can’t run an empire with neoliberalism as your operating system. For example, the geniuses that outsourced American manufacturing to China want to have a war with China, even as China produces much of our high-tech systems critical to warfare.

Sigh.

Unfortunately, this development probably means that we’ll have war sooner than later. Let me explain: Presently the US plans to expand its defense production capabilities to engage in the new Cold War against China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, but because our reliance on China is only increasing and now China has announced export restrictions on critical metals and rare earths essential for high-tech weapons. Because of the various economic woes and deteriorating cultural issues, it’s difficult to imagine that the US will be in any position to achieve its aims, whether its nuclear arsenal or fighting a four front war. This makes a nuclear confrontation even more likely because the US national security state will be forced to acknowledge that things are only going to get worse, and will be left with little choice than to attack Russia, China, Iran and North Korea now.

Maybe I should start digging that fallout shelter?