International Day of Peace – 21 September 2012

Today is international day of peace.  To me, that means we should all lay down our arms, be they physical or metaphorical and just love each other.  Coexist.  Be humans.  One world, one love.  But that is not going to happen is it?  Have you ever wondered why there will never, ever be peace on earth?

What We Are Led to Believe

So, give me the reasons as to why there are wars in the world right now.  At a guess, you will say one of the following at least:

• Religion
• Oppression
• Oil

Those are the main reasons for war right?  Wrong.  The main reason for war is capitalistic gain.  That is why there will never be peace on earth.  We are told that we need protecting from religious extremists.  We are told that we have to protect the oil (that’s why there was intervention in Iraq and Libya, but not in Syria by the way).   We are told that a government that oppresses its people needs to be taken down and that is a justification of war.  But as the statement says “bring our soldiers home, we need protecting from our own government”.

The Money Making Machine that Is War

We live in a global economic depression right?  Take a look at these statistics that show that war is what makes the world’s economy still go round:

• 75% of all the world’s weapons (heavy and light) are supplied by Germany and the five permanent members of the UN Security Councils.  These are China, the United Kingdom, the United States, France and the Russian Federation.
• One third of the weapons are supplied by the United States.
• Arms trades have increased by 24% since the start of the global economic crisis

Let’s take a look at who these arms are traded to.  The United States exports 13% of their weapons to South Korea.  The United Kingdom exports 28% of its arms to Saudi Arabia.  Russia exports 33% of their weapons to India.  Germany exports 13% of its weapons to Greece and France exports 20% of it weapons to Singapore.

Last year, the United States’ arms trade alone was worth $60 billion!!!

I don’t like to quote, it is hard to determine exactly what someone else meant when he said it.  But I will make an exception this time.  This quote is from James Madison who made a political observation in 1795.  Nothing has changed since then, clearly.  Madison stated “Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other.  War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes… known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”

World Military Spending

If these statistics still baffle you a bit, let’s put it in laymen’s terms.  The expenditure of the world’s military in 2010 was $1.63 trillion.  This is an increase of 50% since 2001 and a 1.3% increase since the year before.  So yeah, the world is going to shit in terms of the economy, but the economy of war is increasing.  Basically, the world’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) comprises of 2.6% of war.  This means each and every person pays $236 per year towards the military industry.  You, me, your children, the elderly, starving people in Africa, EVERYBODY.  I don’t mind having an extra $236 per year just to myself.  $236 per year can feed a starving child in India for a year, by the way.

So, on this International Day of Peace, let me ask you again: why are there wars in the world?  Is it really because some individual in some country does something that we collectively can’t agree with so he or she has to be forcibly removed?  Is it because of religious fanaticism?  Is it because we are running out of oil?  Or is it, quite simply, because of the MONEY?