WARS ARE GOOD FOR BUSINESS

rn

So Mr. Harper wants to fight on in Afghanistan until 2011. (Throne Speech, October 16) I understand that, because wars are always good for business so long as you don’t have to die. I remember 1950”s. I was in Japan which was still dirt poor, and we were all starving. So-called “miracle economic recovery” happened during the fifties thanks to Korean War. Unlike Germany, Japan didn’t have to pay for the guilt of the WW II, because Americans needed Japan as a base and as suppliers.

rn

It’s interesting, isn’t it: often people who advise against wars are military. “Military-Industrial-Complex” is the term invented by Dwight Eisenhower, who spoke about the danger when it began to dictate the policy of the nation. “Whoever contemplates another war in Asia has to have his head examined,” said Douglas MacArthur long before the war in Viet Nam. They were heroes of the Second World War. Collin Powell, who fought in Viet Nam, predicted the likely quagmire in Iraq said, “If you invade Iraq, you own it.” They know what they are talking about: body parts flying everywhere, blackened charred bodies on the streets, women and children die more than soldiers, so on. I was there too (in a war, I mean.) I was a child.

rn

But so long as you are not the ones who are doing the dying, it’s a good news for economy. Business loves it, because it’s an extreme form of consumption. Consumption is always good for economy, so long as other people die. Conservative Party’s ideology is pro-business. So if business likes it, Conservatives advocate it. I understand it. But I disagree. I like economy to thrive, but not at any price.