The Viciously Profitable Business of War

Summary

This video script explores the dark side of war profiteering, detailing steps to exploit conflicts for financial gain. It highlights historical examples of companies profiting from war, including overcharging governments and supplying both sides of conflicts, ultimately revealing the unethical nature of such practices.

Takeaways

• 🔫 The global circulation of firearms is immense, with one firearm for every 12 people on Earth.
• 🏦 Step one to becoming a war profiteer is to open a bank or manufacture war materials, including weapons and services.
• 💂‍♂️ Step two involves lobbying for war and pushing politicians for more conflicts, to ensure continuous demand for war materials.
• 🤝 Step three is to support both sides of a conflict to secure profits regardless of the outcome.
• 💰 The profits from war are immense, with war being one of the most profitable and vicious industries.
• 🕰️ War as a business has a long history, dating back to 2700 BCE in Mesopotamia, predating many other industries.
• 🇺🇸 The US government has been known to overpay for war-related supplies and services, leading to inflated profits for companies.
• 📈 Wartime profits can be significantly higher than peacetime, with companies like DuPont and others seeing profits increase dramatically during wars.
• 🌐 Companies involved in the war industry often have no loyalty to any one country and may sell to any government, regardless of the consequences.
• 💼 High-level executives in war-related companies can earn substantial salaries, sometimes in the tens of millions of dollars.
• 🤝 The final step in war profiteering is to ensure continued government contracts, even if it means fulfilling them at the cost of efficiency or ethics.

Q & A

How many firearms are there in worldwide circulation according to the script?

Over 550 million firearms.

What is the significance of the ratio of firearms to people mentioned in the script?

The ratio signifies that there is one firearm for every 12 people on the planet.

What is the first step in becoming a war profiteer as suggested in the script?

The first step is to open up a bank or manufacture war materials like weapons, raw materials, soldiers, or services.

What is the second step in the process of becoming a war profiteer?

The second step involves lobbying for war, pushing your politician friends for more conflicts.

What is the third step in the script's description of becoming a war profiteer?

The third step is to support both sides of the war to ensure profitability regardless of who wins.

What does the script suggest about the profitability of war?

The script suggests that war is extremely profitable, with profits often being much higher than in other industries.

How does the script describe the historical longevity of the war industry compared to other industries?

The script states that the war industry has a longer track record than the information industry, education, and banking combined.

What is the role of war in the context of government as described in the script?

War is described as the ultimate discipline of any government, being a matter of life and death for nations.

What is the term 'racket' used to describe in the context of war in the script?

The term 'racket' is used to describe the highly profitable and exploitative nature of the war industry.

How does the script illustrate the concept of cost-plus contracts in the context of war profiteering?

Cost-plus contracts are described as agreements where the government covers all expenses for a contract and then pays a percentage of those expenses as profit, which can incentivize inefficiency and overcharging.

What is the ethical concern raised in the script about war profiteering?

The script raises ethical concerns about the lack of loyalty to one's home country and the disregard for the loss of innocent lives in the pursuit of profit.

What is the script's stance on the necessity of war for profiteering?

The script suggests that war is necessary for profiteering, as it creates a demand for war materials and services, and that those in the industry often lobby for more conflicts.

How does the script describe the potential misuse of government contracts in war profiteering?

The script describes how government contracts, especially cost-plus contracts, can be misused to inflate costs and profits, often at the expense of taxpayers and sometimes even compromising the quality of services provided.