this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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It's strange, or? Where we normal people are trying to get on with our lives, our government decides to wage war with some other country, where normal people are also just trying to get on with their lives.
No one wants war, besides people selling missiles, bombs, tanks, guns, etc
There are far more that want war. Even people that would have nothing to gain but everything to lose from a war.
Send them to the front and let the problem solve itself.
The issue lies with where the sentiment comes from. Most of the time it originates from politicians who, unable to solve local problems, choose to demonize a part of society or another country in order to get away with their failures and the riches/power this enables them to grab.
As part of the constitution that was imposed on them when the US rebooted their government following WWII, Japan can't activate its military except in self defense.
Their politicians have been complaining about that and trying to get rid of it for decades now, but in my opinion every country should have such a provision. Any sane politician claims they wouldn't use the military unless someone else attacked first, so why give them the option at all?
Well, we see plenty of examples of "self defense" being proclaimed rather broadly. For instance Germany justified its participation in the NATO occupation of Afghanistan as "defending our freedom at the Hindu Kush", because there is a self defense provision in the constitution. Otherwise creating some false-flag to justify "self defense" is also a standard tactic employed since centuries if not millennia.
I don't think the people who sell or make weapons want/provoke war (especially), it's always the dictators or autocrats who do it. Always. Always. Always.
The people who make and sell weapons absolutely do want war. Nations at war need to keep replenishing their stockpiles whereas nations at peace burn through much less. You can use a tank many times in drills but when it's blown up for real, you aren't reusing it.
The dictators and autocrats also want war, but they have their own reason: war distracts people from issues at home. If they can't have a real war, they manufacture an internal enemy instead. Sometimes they do both.
So swedish SAAB is actively trying to provoke wars around the world?
What about BAE systems?
Yeah not really. Or show me proofs of the the reverse.
Or is it the old USA bad + conspiracy theories?
I said want, not provoke. Getting caught actively provoking war would instantly end a corporation in many jurisdictions. I have no proof of them doing that, but I also wouldn't be surprised if some do. SAAB? Probably not. American ones at least can easily affect policy by financing politicians, particularly presidents.
So you're just discussing in bad faith here. How the hell do you know the CEO (or the management) "wants" war but does not want to "provoke war"? Are you a mind reader?
Or are you one of those people thinking we shouldn't have an army?
I also notice the "USA BAD" bias, what about russia, they do want war and provoke it.
Mate I'm Estonian, Russia is bad by default, it doesn't even need discussion. You don't think Russian military industry CEOs and owners didn't cream their pants when Putin invaded Ukraine again? Chemezov is super happy about it for one, he's also very happy that western companies are no longer competing with him on the Russian market.
The CEOs of military industrial companies, like any other CEOs, are going to make more money if the company's numbers are better. If a war happening in bumfuck nowhere doubles the Christmas bonus of one of those bloodsuckers, you bet they'll cheer for it. It's not like war affects them personally. And it's hella fucking profitable.
I'm not anti military spending, I'm anti capitalists profiting from bloodshed. Military industry shouldn't be profitable. It should be nationalised.
I'm swedish so I know the history.
I just hate this stupid fearmongering about military spending. We should spend more nowadays, so this whole narrative that some hidden kabal is provoking wars is just bad for everyone IMO. And yes it's disgusting that CEOs gets bonuses because they sell more weapons, but we want them to make them so that we can buy them, it's IMO not the other way around.
It's absolutely what putin would love BTW, "lets shut down those war hawks' businesses!" narrative.
But I think you and I might be on the same side when it comes down to it, or so I feel.
Cheers and fuck russia
I'm not against either of our countries increasing military spending either, I'm just disgusted that a bunch of people are getting rich off people dying. Hence my idea that weapons manufacturing should be a public industry, not a for-profit one. European nations could still collaborate too. Not everyone needs to make everything.
Do you know the Eisenhower speech?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower%27s_farewell_address
of course they will never come out and say it. Are you incredibly naive?
Well putin and his clique sure does.
No need to be insulting, I mean if you have arguments.