Military-Industrial Complex: The Endless Cycle of Profiteering and Chaos
I have frequently discussed how oligarchs have become very wealthy off our capitalist system – specifically the military-industrial complex. They thrive off solving problems in societies and then present solutions for money-making schemes. However, what if there are no problems?
Let’s look closer at the war industry, for instance. Without world conflicts, we wouldn’t need missiles, tanks, or warships. We wouldn’t need warriors (mercenaries), either. If our goal were diplomacy and peace with all other nations, we wouldn’t need a $1 trillion budget for well over one thousand military bases worldwide. Instead, the land could be converted for green technology purposes. We could even sell the land back to the existing country. We could use the money for education or infrastructure projects back in the USA.
Former President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower told us when he retired in 1961 that the United States had a significant problem with a “military-industrial complex” calling the shots behind the scenes. Unfortunately, his warning was generally ignored, so it was allowed to grow and fester. So what is the purpose of military corporations that trade publicly on the New York Stock Exchange or the Standard & Poor’s 500?
Profit maximization should not be a goal in the war industry
Profit maximization, or quarterly profit maximization, should not exist. Isn’t that obvious? How does a defense contractor keep generating quarterly revenues and profits? Selling more weapons to defeat enemies. Therefore, defense contractors need “enemies” and “conflicts.” If they don’t happen naturally, you create them. You don’t seek peace – you create conflict because it’s good for business. Therefore, you create secret agencies within our military-industrial complex to create global disputes. Once you make the conflict, the defense contractors can sell the government solutions. They can even sell them to both sides of the competition.
Even better, you can create propaganda wars via media outlets and “think tanks” (battles over words), causing nations to buy weapons to protect themselves from other countries who may attack them. Therefore, you only have to stoke fears and doubts about other countries. If you fear them, you’ll stockpile weapons if they attack you (Cold Wars).
Can you see how the sole focus of profiteering – seeking profits for the war industry would create conflicts instead of solving them?
The business model creates conflicts so you can make money selling weapons to fight an enemy. This is not a sound business model for society because it doesn’t support humanity – it’s a recipe for destruction. If your goal is selling weapons for profit, there is no reason for peace.
You manufacture endless war
As Julian Assange said in 2011, “The role is not to have a successful war in Afghanistan, but to have an endless war.”
This is why Americans and Europeans should be skeptical of the Ukrainian conflict, the recent bombing in Turkey; why our troops are in Northern Syria, the buildup of the war industry in Australia and South Korea, and our disagreements with China over Taiwan.
Our President isn’t the leader of the free world – he’s a spokesperson for the oligarchy that controls American media and politics. He’s a spokesperson for the US Military-Industrial Complex.
