It seems we are further destabilizing our energy system by using massive amounts of fossil fuels in our military takeover of Iraq--under the guise of securing our oil supply. This open secret is a fundamental irony underlying our foreign and domestic policies. (A corollary absurdity might be the idea of waging war in order to spread democracy). What might be more ironic is the idea that "green" concepts could lead to systemic change within a branch of government that defies those principles by its very premise. The country's military hegemony's central purpose is to preserve an economic and social structure that breeds consumption patterns and inequality that are inherently unsustainable.

True, greenwashing the Pentagon's agenda may encourage Americans to change their habits by making the issue more visible and politically palatable. But I have a hard time seeing how we can truly improve our security situation--in societal as well as environmental terms--through anything short of moving to dismantle the regime that has strangled our public resources and distracted us from environmental ills for generations.