Post #3117233

Two statements from an article by a French economist (a centrist in French terms - left-wing by US standards)... "Wars are economically irrational: They destroy material and human capital." "A move away from a war economy would likely push Russia into deep recession." Why is this ? The statements appeal to different frames of reference. From the perspective of people and planet war is of course destructive, stupid - but for capitalism it is just the opposite. If I go to the supermarket and buy a trolley full of food, then blow it up in my back garden so that I have to go and buy a lot more, I create more jobs, economic growth, etc, than I would by actually eating and enjoying the food. For a capitalist economy, war is just another good, even sometimes a necessary form of wasteful consumption... https://archive.ph/i1YIW#selection-3593.299-3593.374