The world is in a state of war, considers also Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. But look how differently they talk about the defense industry’s role in returning from war to peace.
Pope Francis, interviewed by the Italian television RAI, said that investing in arms brings the highest profits. Therefore, the most serious obstacle to ending wars and establishing peace is the military-industrial complex. The Pope emphasized that the defense industry is behind every war.
On the other hand, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin convinced the US Senate hearings of the need for additional funds to purchase weapons for the war in Israel and Ukraine. Moreover, Mr. Austin believes that sooner or later NATO will go to war with Russia. He knows what he’s talking about. Let’s go back to the words of Pope Francis, or rather, let’s combine what he said with the position of the Pentagon chief: Investing in the defense industry means continuing wars.
Where does Europe stand? The European Commission wants to re-orient European Industry towards military production. Thus, European officials and members of the European Parliament, who are at the mercy of the European Commission, support the continuation of wars for the sake of super-profits for arms corporations.
Are there voices in Europe against militarizing the continent and for resolving conflicts peacefully? – There are, but not many. We must support them in Europe and beyond. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) has initiated a debate in the national parliament in favor of Austrian neutrality. The FPÖ calls on the Austrian government to withdraw its support for the war party in Ukraine. FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl said the wars in Ukraine and Israel can only be solved politically and not “on the battlefield”. This thought does not occur to European and many other governments that call themselves democratic, socialist or liberal because they belong to the war party.
The FPÖ head pointed out the dramatic impact of these wars even on neutral Austria. A patriot of any country in Europe or the world should think about the dramatic impact of the ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine on his country, on Europe, on any region and on the world. It should be about peace and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, not the escalation of arms production to increase casualties and destruction as these and other conflicts continue, and to involve new actors for the sake of arms company profits.
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