Making Money from War
We stand at the edge of a fucking Abyss. Its rabble-rousing smoke / silently sucking the oxygen from already crucified lungs. Like lemmings, / a hundred million motherless soldiers, our long-lost brothers and sisters, / (your own sons and daughters, comrades and neighbours), must soon step / out into desolate space. – A poem by Séamas Carraher
“Defense contractors get close to lawmakers. Wars stop being the last resort. They become just another business model…. Basically, conflict is good for business” [Palki Sharma]
1
Listen:
We stand at the edge of a fucking Abyss. Its rabble-rousing smoke
silently sucking the oxygen from already crucified lungs. Like lemmings,
a hundred million motherless soldiers, our long-lost brothers and sisters,
(your own sons and daughters, comrades and neighbours), must soon step
out into desolate space
…must soon fall fearlessly where there’s no need for flags no more, no
need to fan the bloody fearful flames. Just Money. Only the crude
patriotism of profit, the precision strike of its grasping claws, its
exchange value in an endless use of “smart bombs” and “suicide drones”
…of “Explosive munitions, such as “bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles and similar munitions of war and parts”…“cartridges”, some types of “ammunition and projectiles” and parts, including “shot and cartridge wads”… “bullets”, “Parts and accessories” (of military weapons, including components for “revolvers and pistols”, “Shotguns and rifles”, “Rocket launchers, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, torpedo tubes and similar projectors”, “Tank and other armoured fighting vehicle, motorised, whether or not fitted with weapons, and parts”
…all now lurking overhead, they loiter loveless and indecent in their
homicidal and hateful seduction, soon to descend swiftly with their
algorithms of arrogance and anger, of acquisition, asset and
annihilation… just more “business as usual”…
Welcome then …to the financialisation of fear and terror
2
…abundant (in the midst of “scarcity”), all the blood-soaked-billions of
- The banality of its “bottom line”. The simple stupid greed of it… its
cruelty and savagery just one more “option” or “derivative” worth dying
for (blessed by rabbi and banker and bishop); blasphemous in brutality
here is this one last loveless sacrament for the helpless suicide
…his slaughter no longer seen as sin nor sacrilege, no longer only
counted in debt and credit but, right now, in the dead bodies of dead and
always-dying children who know they will never return home…
Never. Again.
3
Listen, please.
i still dream i had a mind once. It wandered freely in the illusions of
friendship, the possibilities of peace, the promises of “Humanity”…
Today it will wander, wretched and lost, in this cemetery of commodified
space, another mass-grave where only the Dead will ever learn how to
care enough, where 20,000 forgotten children are always burning to
death, not only in fire and fury, but in the luxury yachts, the villas, and
the monstrous investments of these oligarchs and arms dealers.
Shameless, they too, will stand at the edge of this Abyss.
4
How stupid must we become, with voices disarmed like dogs called to
heel, spineless and nameless in our multiple and hidden poverties, ruled
by these faceless dealers in death, by billionaires and brokers, by the priceless pornography of profit, both public and private, this perversion
of politician and corporation, the masters of starvation and the stock
exchange
…their madness masterminded in the US, manufactured in Germany,
bankrolled in Britain, exported from Italy and India, and falling
everywhere today, like rain falls, falling where not even their well-paid
accountants can calculate the cost of it all, its furious and wretched
windfall in devastation and despair and destruction.
Open your eyes, please…
5
What a new and unruly welcome for these Four Horsemen in a history of
horror. For Plague and Pestilence and this cynical “Ceasefire” called
“War”. For Hunger & Starvation and its cowardly industry of
extermination by sniper or drone or quad-copter.
Welcome, also, the Fifth Horseman, the Moneylender in his mindless lair,
his bomb-proof bunker, this speculator “making a killing”.
6
No disguise we wear, no decency we pretend, no fear nor denial will
absolve nor redeem us from these deadly demons, as if our own souls
were already bought and sold by these well-dressed-devils and drowning
in the many delusions of “democracy”, too quickly forgotten for sure,
merely one more short-lived destination, forever forced to flight yet once
forged and fought for in the fierce furnaces and the closed-down factories
where all dreams begin and end
and so, we will pray:
kiss me on my lips, Assassin,
kiss me with your business of dying,
kiss me with your seductive and lying lips,
our downfall delivered on-time and in paid-installments!
7
How have we have grown so blind, so deaf and dumb?
Drowning in debt and depravity, in the poison of promissory notes and
privilege, in import and export licenses, in the pathetic promises of
“progress” from the rich and the powerful, all crafted in their currency of
corruption, their business-model of bewilderment, bombs and butchery
this fraud also our own fear-filled foolishness
policed like all tyranny in its terror and now valued
on Wall Street in stocks-and-shares and surveillance,
its sad solitary speechlessness sullen and stunned
in front of the TV screen…
8
…and watch, now, carefully, watch all the lights go out, here where
these same cities once lived in and imagined lie wrecked and in ruins
and all our hopes are only to be resurrected from lies and rubble
and in their millions and in our multitudes
from these many murdered-martyred silences
buried beneath.
séamas carraher
23 may – 12 June, 2026, Version 1
15 june – 20 July, 2026, Version 2
https://seamascarraher.blogspot.com/
Image: Arms Fair Protest (2013)
cs2002, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quote & Sources
Who Really Profits from America’s Wars? New Report Reveals Truth | Vantage with Palki Sharma
“The U.S. has the world’s largest military — and the biggest defence budget. But who actually profits from the nearly $1 trillion America spends each year? Spoiler: it’s not the soldiers or veterans. It is private military contractors — from Lockheed Martin to SpaceX — have become the biggest winners of America’s wars. With over $2.4 trillion funnelled to private firms between 2020 and 2024, war is no longer just a government affair. It’s a business.”
Full Clip:
“…all of these factors fuel the military-industrial complex. Defense contractors get close to lawmakers. Wars stop being the last resort. They become just another business model. And here’s how it works. The US Congress approves record military budgets. The Pentagon funnels big money to these military contractors. These companies then spend millions on lobbying and donations and again to keep the US Congress friendly. Retired officials land consulting gigs or board seats at those very firms and the cycle continues.
Long story short, these private American companies profit from wars. They profit from conflict. So they create incentives to keep the money flowing.
And that is the dark loop of war for profit. Basically, conflict is good for business [4:44]
SOURCE – Arms Manufacturers
The SIPRI Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies in the world, 2024
SIPRI – Top 100 Arms Companies – 2024
World’s top arms producers see revenues rise on the back of wars and regional tensions
The global defence industry experienced its most profitable year on record in 2024, with the world’s 100 largest weapons manufacturers collectively taking in $679 billion from military-related sales.
Firstpost – 679 Billion Arms Sales – 2024
World’s arms makers post record $679 billion in sales as wars fuel demand
“SIPRI researcher Zubaida Karim noted in a statement that “the growing backlash over Israel’s actions in Gaza seems to have had little impact on interest in Israeli weapons”.
“Dealers in Death” – Summary
Not just the US: How 51 countries armed Israel during Gaza war
“On January 26, 2024, the ICJ ruled that there was a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and ordered provisional measures. Crucially, it reminded all states party to the Genocide Convention, of which there are 153, of their obligations: to act to prevent genocide…
“Since October 7, 2023, a wide range of countries have supplied military goods to Israel, ranging from major government-to-government transfers to the delivery of components through third parties. While the United States, Germany, and Italy are traditionally cited as the top three exporters, import data reveals that the network of suppliers is much broader, involving over 50 countries…
A comprehensive investigation by Al Jazeera (May 2026) analysed Israeli import data and found that at least 51 countries sent military-related goods to Israel between October 2023 and October 2025
The United States
“The United States is by far the largest supplier, accounting for the vast majority of Israel’s conventional imports. Reports indicate the U.S. has provided approximately $21.7 billion to $22 billion in military assistance since October 2023…
“Supplies include over 50,000 tons of equipment delivered via 1,000 aircraft and 150 ships, comprising Aircraft: F-35s, F-16s, AH-64 Apache helicopters; Munitions: JDAMs, Small Diameter Bombs, 155mm artillery shells, Hellfire missiles Systems: Iron Dome missiles, armored vehicles, and bunker-defeating munitions via:
Lockheed Martin – (Fighter jets (F-35), missile defense systems, missiles, rotary aircraft, and space systems)
RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon – (Air and missile defense systems (Patriot), precision weapons, sensors, and electronic warfare systems)
Northrop Grumman (Stealth bombers (B-21 Raider), military drones, space systems, and intercontinental ballistic missiles)
Boeing (Military aircraft (F-15, B-52), surveillance and communication systems, and rotorcraft)
General Dynamics (Combat vehicles (tanks), submarines, warships, and command & control systems)
Harris Technologies (Surveillance, electronic warfare, night vision, and space & airborne communication systems)
BAE Systems…
…and more and more…
Major European Suppliers
“European nations play a significant role, though export policies have sometimes conflicted with shipping realities.
Germany: Historically the second-largest supplier (approx. 30% of imports 2020-2024), providing naval frigates, torpedoes, submarine components, and 10,000 tank rounds Approved €457 million in exports (2023-2024)
Italy: Supplies amounted to roughly 1% of Israel’s total arms. Despite government criticism and assurances of halting shipments, analysis of accounts found exports continued, valued at €5.2 million in 2024 and €2.1 million in late 2023
United Kingdom: Supplies primarily consist of components for F-35 and F-16 fighter jets (approx. 15% of F-35 parts). Approved £42 million in exports in 2022, and shipments continued via third parties even after a suspension of some licenses in September 2024
Spain & Netherlands: Spain implemented a full arms embargo in September 2025
The Netherlands revoked export licenses for F-35 parts following a court order, though cases remain in legal limbo
Major Surprising Suppliers (Asia)
Recent customs data highlights non-Western nations as major contributors.
India: Surpassed Germany in some datasets, accounting for 26% of the value of military-related imports identified during the conflict (Oct 2023 – Oct 2025)
Romania: Identified as one of the five largest suppliers, though specific weapon types are not detailed in public records
Czech Republic: Ranked as a top-five supplier in customs data. Provided an initial emergency shipment of 3,000 ballistic armor vests days after October 7
Other Notable Suppliers
Several other countries provided specific capabilities or acted as critical lifelines.
Serbia: An unexpected major lifeline for artillery ammunition (155mm shells). Exports surged from €1.4 million in 2023 to €42.3 million in 2024
Hungary: Provided diplomatic support and joint drone programs, though reports suggest limited physical ammunition transfers compared to Serbia
Taiwan: Listed alongside the US and India as one of the top five suppliers based on import data, though specific details remain unclear
(note: summary generated by DeepSeek AI)
Alternative Sources
Chris Hedges:
“So all of the Heritage Foundation, all of these think tanks, are funded by the war industry and that’s how you resurrect the same people. Elliot Abrams I dealt with I was overseas for 20 years as a reporter. I dealt with Elliot Abrams during the war in El Salvador and Robert Kagan who was
his deputy and they never go away even though they’re wrong about everything because they’re shills for the people who make money from war.” {4:21-4:44]
Chris Hedges Channel – May 22, 2026
Meeting the arms dealers with killer sales targets
“The opening day of the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair in London saw the UK government award a major contract to an Israeli firm linked to atrocities committed against Palestinians in Gaza.”
How the military-industrial complex captured US democracy | Business of War |l Jazeera Article War
“When it comes to selling weapons, the United States is in a league of its own: more than 40 percent of all arms sold worldwide come from US companies.
“Five corporations, known as the “big five”, dominate that trade – and since the start of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, their revenues have soared.
“But selling weapons overseas is only part of their business. At home, they enjoy an almost guaranteed windfall every year, from a US military budget worth roughly a trillion dollars.”
HOPE – for the Future?
DJ Trump:
“There is now the resurgence of the communist menace in our Land…” (Mount Rushmore July 4 Address – via Al Jazeera Newshour)
Slavoj Zizek:
“A collection of Bertolt Brecht’s (largely ignored or forgotten) short interviews and encounters was recently published under the title Our Hope Today is the Crisis. Let’s be courageous enough to fully endorse this insight: instead of just trying to escape, postpone, or minimize the threat posed by the four new riders of the apocalypse; instead of continuing to dwell in our melancholic apathy and frantically doing nothing, let’s mobilize ourselves to attack the roots of our crisis, with all the risks that this involves. Because the greatest risk today is doing nothing and allowing history to follow its course.”
‘Too Late To Awaken’ – Slavoj Zizez (Kenny’s Bookshop)
– What Lies Ahead When There Is No Future
(“Žižek’s most urgent and accessible book yet asks us all to imagine that catastrophe is a foregone conclusion—so that we can actually save the world.” – Penguin Books)
(Our Hope Today is the Crisis – “Bertolt Brecht, ‘Unsere Hoffnung heute ist die Krise’, ed. Von Noah Willumsen – Frankfurt: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2023.”
Too Late to Awaken (Critique)
Ancillary Review Of Books Review – February, 2025
NO HOPE – for the Future?
NATO unveils arms deals to prove its firepower to Trump
“NATO has showcased a series of military projects worth billions of dollars in an attempt to convince President Donald Trump that US allies are converting fresh defence spending into real firepower.
“It’s money well spent,” an energised NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told government ministers and defence industry officials on the sidelines of a summit in Turkey on Tuesday (6 July, 2026).”
Make #thewrittenword a #subversive activity in an age of Resurgent #Fascism.
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