Core reading
The U.S. government continues to fire the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, the share prices of major U.S. military enterprises have risen sharply. The United States’ practice of watching the fire from across the bank, harvesting wealth by creating conflicts and provoking wars has aroused widespread doubts and dissatisfaction in the international community.
The State Council recently announced a series of measures to help Ukraine, including providing diplomatic support, financial assistance and selling arms. International public opinion generally believes that the American government deliberately incites war and adds fuel to the fire, with the aim of prolonging the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and seeking its own geostrategic interests. US government officials, military industrial enterprises and members of Congress get what they need, and earn "a lot of money".
Franklin Spinney, a former official of the US Department of Defense, pointed out that the US military-industrial complex should be responsible for the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, because the business model of the military-industrial complex and its lobbying activities are one of the important reasons for NATO’s repeated eastward expansion after the Cold War.
Eric sperling, Executive Director of Fair Foreign Policy, an American anti-war organization — —
The U.S. military-industrial complex exported a large number of weapons to Ukraine and other regions, and profited greatly from the Ukrainian crisis. The military giant is an important behind-the-scenes pusher of American belligerence.
Many congressmen, mainstream media and senior government officials in the United States are closely related to the US military-industrial complex. Military enterprises signed huge military contracts with the support of parliamentarians and senior officials; Members of parliament receive campaign funds provided by military enterprises, and some senior officials serve as executives in military giants before or after they leave office. The data shows that the US military-industrial complex is making huge profits from the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The share prices of related companies soared, the defense budgets of the United States and European countries continued to increase, and the military giants successfully concocted the opportunity of "bloody war wealth".
The New York Times reported that the United States provided Ukraine with nearly 17,000 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles within one week after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The US Business Insider website reported that at least 19 US congressmen or their spouses hold shares in arms companies that manufacture Stinger and Javelin missiles, especially Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. In the context of the ongoing crisis, it is expected that the two arms dealers will make huge profits of up to billions of dollars. As of April 21st, the closing price shows that within one month since Russia launched the special military operation in Ukraine, the shares of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon rose by 25.6%, 24% and nearly 15% respectively.
"Warmongers are encouraging a new cold war with Russia … … This is in their interest to put trillions of dollars into the pockets of the military-industrial complex. " Former US Congressman Gabbard pointed out that "let Russia attack Ukraine", the US military-industrial complex will benefit from it, "the military-industrial complex will be better than them and ‘ Base ’ Organizing operations will earn much more. "
Spinney wrote a few days ago that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a "foreseeable consequence" of NATO’s eastward expansion. War is a very bad thing. However, "since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Pentagon, K Street (the gathering place of lobbying companies in Washington, DC), military enterprises and the entire Capitol are quietly opening champagne to celebrate." The world will pay for this for a long time. American interest groups justify the huge defense expenditure by increasing tension, inciting politics of fear of Russia and "demonizing" means, and promote the increase of arms expenditure.
American arms companies spend a lot of money on political lobbying. According to the data of the "Open Secret" website, in 2021, Raytheon spent about $15.4 million on federal lobbying activities, while Lockheed Martin spent more than $14.4 million. Eric sperling, executive director of just foreign policy, an American anti-war organization, said that the US military-industrial complex exported a large number of weapons to Ukraine and other regions and benefited greatly from the Ukrainian crisis. The military giant is an important driving force behind America’s belligerence.
Comments on the website of People’s World in the United States point out — —
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict may be right in the heart of major oil and gas companies in the United States and other western countries. These companies hope that the war will bring them huge new profit opportunities.
By provoking the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the United States has caused the global energy market price to skyrocket, and American oil and gas companies have earned a lot from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
The US "People’s World" website commented that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict may be in the middle of the major oil and gas companies in the United States and other western countries. These companies hope that the war will bring them huge new profit opportunities. At present, multinational oil and gas monopolies such as ExxonMobil, Shell and BP, as well as related networks of drilling and transportation companies, are all trying to seize Russia’s oil and gas export share.
Before the Russian-Ukrainian conflict broke out, Frank Macchiarola, an official of the American Petroleum Association, announced that American oil and gas producers could help fill any production gap caused by the Ukrainian war. He admitted that before the conflict, American oil and gas companies could not compete with Russian energy companies at all.
Reuters reported that after the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the EU set the goal of reducing its dependence on Russian natural gas by two thirds this year and ending all Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027. In late March, the United States and the European Union announced that the United States would provide an additional 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas to the European Union this year.
On the one hand, the United States requires EU countries to stop importing Russian oil; on the other hand, it is silently increasing its imports. According to us energy information administration’s data, from March 19th to 25th, the United States imported 43% more oil from Russia than the previous week, reaching 100,000 barrels per day.
"For western energy giants, this geopolitical earthquake may mean a huge profit premium." The US People’s World website commented that "the oil and gas giants won and we all lost", and the global oil price once hit a new high in 14 years. Americans will pay more at gas stations and convenience stores, while public funds will be used for arms instead of social needs.
Many American politicians also benefited from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Egyptian writer Khalil anany described some American politicians as "war brokers". He said: "It is in the interests of these politicians to provoke war rather than stop it, so as to ensure the sustainability of their profits and the increase of returns in bank accounts." "Business Insider" website reported that many US congressmen, including John rutherford and marjorie Green, bought shares of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin before the conflict broke out. Senator john hickenlooper has long held shares in Raytheon.
A commentary on India’s TFI Global News Network said that it is "shameless" for so many US congressmen to have commercial interests in the defense industry, which has helped them make a lot of money. "For US congressmen, in the contest between morality and money, the latter is always the winner."
Peter Kuznik, Professor of History at American University — —
Inciting the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a big business for the United States, and its foreign policy-making has been kidnapped to a great extent by the military industrial group.
Sputnik news agency & radio’s article analyzes that the US is increasing its military assistance to Ukraine in the hope that Ukraine will continue to fight. The longer the situation lasts, the more strategic and economic benefits the US can maximize.
Turkish writer and political scientist Suleiman Seyfi Eryun wrote recently that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has injected vitality into American military enterprises, and the soaring oil and gas prices have brought more income to American energy companies, so the United States does not want the war to end.
Peter Kuznik, a professor of history at American University in the United States, hit the nail on the head and pointed out that provoking the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is a big business for the United States, and its foreign decision-making has been kidnapped to a great extent by the military industrial group. "The logic of war wealth permeated with blood has become an incurable disease in the United States."
American media reported that there are more than 4,000 lobbying groups of the military-industrial complex active in American politics. The military-industrial complex not only has the ability to ensure that its own interests are not affected by the change of government, but also can often prevent government decisions that want to touch its cake, even if these decisions are in the public interest. American Magazine reported that the United States spends far more on military affairs than any other country, and every year it stirs up conflicts around the world in order to export weapons worth tens of billions of dollars. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine will increase the defense budget of NATO member countries and bring huge business opportunities to US military industrial enterprises. The budget provided by the United States for the Ministry of National Defense in fiscal year 2023 also increased by 4%.
Spinney pointed out that the Pentagon’s "budget maximization strategy" has made the US political economy more dependent on defense expenditure. Former US President Eisenhower realized this "grotesque distortion" in 1961. He once said that the emergence of a powerful military-industrial complex may one day threaten American democracy itself.
"More and more wealth continues to flow to large companies such as Boeing, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and these companies are happy to hire retired American generals as board members." William Astor, a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the US Air Force, criticized that the US government has a consistent practice of military Keynesianism, that is, providing jobs and wealth for a relatively few people at the expense of the interests of the majority. Astor pointed out that over the past 60 years, the United States has wantonly used weapons against people who can’t fight back with the same weapons, while the US military-industrial complex has made huge profits from it. The U.S. government keeps lying and lacks accountability for military failures, and important government or military officials basically never take responsibility. The war launched by the United States caused great damage in the world, but the life of American workers failed to improve.
Julio Rios, a Spanish expert on international issues, pointed out: "Washington is the biggest winner of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The United States is setting someone else’s fire, accounting for its own account, and playing ‘ Many birds with one stone ’ Small abacus. "
(Washington, May 4 th)