Ka-ching war will bring in bucks for US

In the Vietnam War, gung-ho American unit commanders liked to say: “Killing is our business, and right now, business is good.” The irony only hit years later, after the US death toll hit just under 60 000 and the Vietnamese kicked them out anyway. The United States is the superpower it is now because its factories supplied the industrial muscle to build the tanks, guns, and planes that effectively won World War II. Keeping that gargantuan, yet highly profitable, arms business satisfied is one of the main reasons Washington, since before President Donald Trump, has seen itself as the global policeman.

Wars and interventions require a massive military force, and the US has the biggest in the world. Supplying allies like Israel, which tear through massive stockpiles of American weapons, levelling Gaza andother places, is also extremely good business. So, Trump deploying massive military force to theMiddle East as he threatens Iran will probably also beextremely good for business, even if a shooting warbreaks out.

However, having massive, profitable firepowerdoesn’t always guarantee you’ll win. Ask the cynical Vietnam vets, who would describe themselves as “Participant, Southeast Asian War Games. Second Place.”