When people see the title of this article, for most, the song War by Edwin Starr immediately comes to mind, echoing the sentiment of “…absolutely nothing!” However, the narrative shifts when considering the perspective of arms dealers, as evident in the blooming arms fair held in London last September.
There are currently two major wars in the world: The Russia-Ukraine war and the war in Israel. This inevitably leads people to think about wars in a more critical way. As a war survivor myself, seeing what has happened in the past weeks triggered some unpleasant memories. It made me contemplate this phenomenon and how people start acting globally once something catastrophic happens.
Wars are very complicated, and the real reason is rarely what is being presented in the public sphere. Yet those narratives fuel emotions and have people immediately denounce one side while unapologetically defending the other. Some will view every war as black and white, the aggressor versus the defender, but in reality, it is rarely so. Not knowing the history well enough, what God’s word tells us about all of this, or understanding nation’s cultures, it should be hard to “pick a side” when it comes to any war. Not the other way around, as we had the opportunity to see in these last few weeks.
One thing is always certain, at least when it comes to regular people: they are the ones who end up being the casualties of every war and the biggest sufferers. According to UNHCR, 117.2 million people will be forcibly displaced or stateless in 2023, with a spike in numbers for those fleeing war-affected areas.
Arms Trade
Following drug and human trafficking, arms trafficking holds a significant position as a criminal profit generator, with the fourth-highest global score of 5.21. On the flip side, unlike the first two, the arms trade is also a legal business, with international governments being the only clients the arms industry has on a retainer.
The phrase ‘military-industrial complex’ originated from US President Eisenhower’s farewell speech in 1961, where he highlighted the significant sway this sector’s lobbying held over the White House. The military-industrial complex encompasses military corporations and, to a smaller degree, union organizations that aim to shape government policy decisions concerning arms acquisitions.
Governments, the military-industrial complex, The Powers That Be, and everyone else who has an interest will feed people a particular narrative that will fan the flames for the next war. Usually, they pick two or more sides that have historically been in repetitive conflict and plant their seed, take the popcorn, and enjoy what comes next. War fearmongering has always been good for business, and we currently witness an astonishing rise in global arms sales.
Two movies come to mind that portray this in a good way: War Dogs, a true tale of David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who landed a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America’s allies in Afghanistan, and Lord of War with Nicholas Cage. His character, Yuri Orlov, was inspired by multiple real international gunrunners from recent history. This is the prologue of that film: “There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That’s one firearm for every 12 people on the planet. The only question is: how do we arm the other 11?”
Numerous reports, often surfacing on social media, corroborated by my personal experience, often highlight the harsh reality of influential individuals sending others’ children to battlefronts. At the same time, their offspring enjoy exotic vacations, all while their wallets are getting thicker with every bullet fired. Bullets that kill soldiers, like my dad, or little innocent kids. According to the UN secretary-general’s annual reports on children and armed conflict, global armed conflicts claimed the lives of 2,985 children in 2022, 2,515 in 2021, 2,674 in 2020, and 4,019 in 2019.
A Brief History of Wars
According to historians, the first war occurred in Mesopotamia in 2,700 BC between the forces of Sumer and Elam. Since then, humans have engaged in countless conflicts, from tribal clashes to two world wars, and it seems we are on the brink of the third one. So, wars have been around for a very long time.
However, it is hard to calculate the exact number of wars throughout human history due to various factors such as differing definitions of what constitutes a war, the vast period over which wars have occurred, incomplete or inconsistent historical records (often influenced by bias) like this list from what is supposed to be a reputable source, Britannica, that for some reason didn’t include two major wars in the 90s—the Croatian War for Independence that took place in my native country, and the Rwandan Civil War.Â
Closing Thoughts
Wars have been fought for various reasons, from economic gain to religious differences, and some were even fought over women, like the Trojan War, according to ancient Greek epic poet Homer. Unfortunately, the consequences of war are often devastating for all involved parties, no matter what the driving forces are behind them. Civilians can suffer loss of life and property; soldiers can be killed or injured in combat, and governments can find themselves weakened. The economic repercussions extend beyond the warring nations, impacting global economies through sanctions, as witnessed in the recent Ukraine conflict. War crimes and human rights violations cast a long, dark shadow over the narrative of armed conflicts and the neverending devastation perpetuated by the cycle of war.
The emotional justification for war over freedom and national sovereignty often overlooks the broader picture. Overcoming pride, religious beliefs, or historical tensions is imperative to find the middle ground and focus more on establishing peace. Because as our Lord teaches us, peace is the only way: “Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.” (Ps. 34:14 NKJV)
