“The promises of hundreds of billions being put toward military spending in Europe only serve to bolster arms company share prices and maintain a system that prioritises warfare.”
By Vincent Conquest
As the people of Iran suffer greatly from Trump’s illegal war, workers and the poor globally are already suffering economic consequences. Anti-war activists came together at a recent online event organised by Arise – A Festival of Left Ideas to explain and oppose Trump’s wars.
Rachel Garnham, former Labour NEC member, chaired the discussion. She introduced it by emphasising the importance of socialist political education and discussion over the issue of militarism: “We need to understand what’s going on in order to challenge it in the most effective way possible.”
Michael Burke of the Socialist Economic Bulletin spoke next. He argued that the US was increasingly relying on military power to compensate for its declining economic dominance. US military hostility towards Iran, Venezuela, Russia and Cuba is directly linked to attempts to maintain US hegemony and global supremacy, and resist the rise of China. “The intention is to restore US supremacy and global domination through military means because they can’t through economic means.”
Burke also rejected the idea that increased military spending would stimulate economic growth or create significant amounts of decent employment. He argued that military spending is different to other forms of investment because “what the missile, the bullet, the bomb, the tank can do, and often can only do once, is destroy buildings, destroy the means of production and, of course, most importantly, destroy people.”
Alex Gordon, an officer in the Stop the War Coalition and a former RMT president, spoke next. He argued that the vast military budgets passed by the US government increasingly serve the interests of defence companies and investors, rather than the interests of the public.
“Trump’s dream military [is] a dream for Pentagon contractors and a nightmare for everyone else.” He pointed to soaring military budgets in both the US and also in Europe. The promises of hundreds of billions being put toward military spending in Europe only serve to bolster arms company share prices and maintain a system that prioritises warfare abroad instead of welfare for their own people.
Finally, he also criticised the UK’s closeness to the US, particularly in foreign policy. He highlighted the extent of US involvement and influence within the UK’s defence sector, and challenged the idea that the sector is independent: “The UK’s nuclear arsenal is entirely dependent on the United States.”
The speakers then took questions from the audience. Both of them warned that governments would ultimately seek to cut welfare, pensions and public services in order to pay for increased militarism. Despite widespread political support for higher military spending in theory, public support evaporates once people are asked to accept lower living standards to pay for it.
The discussion concluded with calls for renewed peace campaigning, international solidarity, and investment in the future of our country instead of warfare.
- Vincent Conquest is an Arise – a Festival of Left Ideas Volunteer and Young Labour member. You can follow him on Twitter/X here.
- You can watch ‘The economics of Trump’s war – profits for the few, misery for the many’ in full here.
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