From Cold War to Forever Wars: The Economics of America’s Military Addiction

On World Affairs in Context with Lena Petrova, Ryan McMaken explains why calls for a “$1.5 trillion defense budget” are really about bigger government, not national defense. He walks through how Pentagon spending keeps climbing despite repeated audit failures, why tariffs can’t plausibly fund the buildup, and how persistent deficits translate into higher interest costs and rising pressure on the broader economy, while intervention abroad expands.

The original interview is available on YouTube.