Investors run businesses to get as much amount of profit as they can. Same notion applies to the arms, big and mass-destructive weapons manufacturing industries. Arms and weapons manufacturing industries always seek a market for their product. They have been busy in plotting and creating, among nations and several groups, un-necessary and un-justified wars irrespective of the consequences to the world (or at least the developing countries) could face. War is good for very few and bad for many people. It can cost a huge number of lives and benefits in terms of dollars. Benefits of such wars are shared by those (mostly, weapon industries) who create or impose it on innocents. Such industries, contractors, has their strong lobbies in big governments and most often support political campaigns on a larger scale.

When their agents come in to the “policy-making orbits”, then they inclined them to impose wars on others. After the end of Cold War, the war manufacturers were sought to create a market for their weapons and finally they decided to make and use the greater Middle East region as “laboratory experiment” for their mass-destructive-minded set. The so called War on terror, has claimed around half a million lives and even, still can lead to an increased number after the recent incident of Qasem Soleimani’s death.

An American decorated major general, Smedley Butler, who had served the USA military for more than thirty years in the first half of the 20^th century, wrote a book, War is a Racket, in which he criticized the U.S.A involvement in un-justified wars. He came to see himself as a gangster who worked for the USA. Only a smaller number of people know the truth and motives behind any war. In a book titled The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power, Daniel Yergin cited that in 1943, the then Secretary of Interior, Harold Ickes warned and very closely predicted that “if there should be a World War III it would have fought to be with someone’s else petroleum, because the United States would not have it”.

A book “Wars of Plunder: Conflicts, Profits and the Politics of Resources” by Philippe le Bilion, documented that controlling over oil, diamonds, and timber are the main proximate causes of conflicts generated in several parts of the world like, oil resources in Iraq, diamonds in Botswana and Sierra Leone, and timber in Solomon Islands, Burma, Cambodia etc.

History of wars tells us that most of the damage done by war is to the civilians who were, not participants of the wars. Most of the wars launched by the Americans are not defensive, rather, aggressive in nature. David Swanson wrote in the sixth chapter of his book “War is a lie”, that “If you can start a war and claim aggression from the other side, nobody will hear their cries for peace. But you will have to make sure that some Americans die. Then a war can be not only begun but also continued indefinitely so that those already killed shall not have died in vain.”

In 1967, when Colonel Qaddafi came into power, Libya was the poorest nations in Africa while, during his ruling time before he was assassinated, Libya was one of the richest countries of Africa. Similarly, Saddam Hussain of Iraq was also punished for regularizing and making independent oil policies.

According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook, 2018, the USA is the largest main contributor of major weapons with 34 per cent of all the exports. SIPRI top 100 arms-producing and military services, $217.2 billion out of $374.8 billion (i.e. 57.9%) in 2016 was the share of the USA companies. The overall sales by the top 100 has increased by 1.9 per cent while the US companies has risen by 4.0 per cent. One of the main objectives of a war can be maintaining and defending peace, however, on the other hand, if we look in to wars, created by the US and its allies, it has not contributed to the world peace. Vastly, it deteriorated the pre-war peace. Similarly, spending on military services and weapons has the opportunity costs that, has been largely ignored. Reallocating or decreasing global military expenditures by around 10% can help in reduction and eradication of several developmental problems like hunger, poverty, health and education problems.

Medley Butler’s wonderful recommendations regarding peace and war has been ignored completely. He was of the view that countries should fight defensive wars only. He also suggests that the decision of starting war should be a referendum-based of those who has life-risk in front-lines of these wars. Furthermore, making wars unprofitable by making compulsion on those who could get from war should get the amount as much low as a low-wage worker get.

Notes: Interested readers should also read, following articles on this topic:

1. https://medium.com/@asadzaman_27/the-business-of-war-995af1355594
2. https://azprojects.wordpress.com/2018/05/14/disinformation-manufacturing-monsters/

Investors run businesses to get as much amount of profit as they can. Same notion applies to the arms, big and mass-destructive weapons manufacturing industries. Arms and weapons manufacturing industries always seek a market for their product. They have been busy in plotting and creating, among nations and several groups, un-necessary and un-justified wars irrespective of the consequences to the world (or at least the developing countries) could face. War is good for very few and bad for many people. It can cost a huge number of lives and benefits in terms of dollars. Benefits of such wars are shared by those (mostly, weapon industries) who create or impose it on innocents. Such industries, contractors, has their strong lobbies in big governments and most often support political campaigns on a larger scale.

When their agents come in to the “policy-making orbits”, then they inclined them to impose wars on others. After the end of Cold War, the war manufacturers were sought to create a market for their weapons and finally they decided to make and use the greater Middle East region as “laboratory experiment” for their mass-destructive-minded set. The so called War on terror, has claimed around half a million lives and even, still can lead to an increased number after the recent incident of Qasem Soleimani’s death.

An American decorated major general, Smedley Butler, who had served the USA military for more than thirty years in the first half of the 20^th century, wrote a book, War is a Racket, in which he criticized the U.S.A involvement in un-justified wars. He came to see himself as a gangster who worked for the USA. Only a smaller number of people know the truth and motives behind any war. In a book titled The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power, Daniel Yergin cited that in 1943, the then Secretary of Interior, Harold Ickes warned and very closely predicted that “if there should be a World War III it would have fought to be with someone’s else petroleum, because the United States would not have it”.

A book “Wars of Plunder: Conflicts, Profits and the Politics of Resources” by Philippe le Bilion, documented that controlling over oil, diamonds, and timber are the main proximate causes of conflicts generated in several parts of the world like, oil resources in Iraq, diamonds in Botswana and Sierra Leone, and timber in Solomon Islands, Burma, Cambodia etc.

History of wars tells us that most of the damage done by war is to the civilians who were, not participants of the wars. Most of the wars launched by the Americans are not defensive, rather, aggressive in nature. David Swanson wrote in the sixth chapter of his book “War is a lie”, that “If you can start a war and claim aggression from the other side, nobody will hear their cries for peace. But you will have to make sure that some Americans die. Then a war can be not only begun but also continued indefinitely so that those already killed shall not have died in vain.”

In 1967, when Colonel Qaddafi came into power, Libya was the poorest nations in Africa while, during his ruling time before he was assassinated, Libya was one of the richest countries of Africa. Similarly, Saddam Hussain of Iraq was also punished for regularizing and making independent oil policies.

According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook, 2018, the USA is the largest main contributor of major weapons with 34 per cent of all the exports. SIPRI top 100 arms-producing and military services, $217.2 billion out of $374.8 billion (i.e. 57.9%) in 2016 was the share of the USA companies. The overall sales by the top 100 has increased by 1.9 per cent while the US companies has risen by 4.0 per cent. One of the main objectives of a war can be maintaining and defending peace, however, on the other hand, if we look in to wars, created by the US and its allies, it has not contributed to the world peace. Vastly, it deteriorated the pre-war peace. Similarly, spending on military services and weapons has the opportunity costs that, has been largely ignored. Reallocating or decreasing global military expenditures by around 10% can help in reduction and eradication of several developmental problems like hunger, poverty, health and education problems.

Medley Butler’s wonderful recommendations regarding peace and war has been ignored completely. He was of the view that countries should fight defensive wars only. He also suggests that the decision of starting war should be a referendum-based of those who has life-risk in frontlines of these wars. Furthermore, making wars unprofitable by making compulsion on those who could get from war should get the amount as much low as a low-wage worker get.

Notes: Interested readers should also read, following articles on this topic:

1. The Business of War
2. Disinformation: Manufacturing Monsters