Why War Never Ends | Politics, Profit and Power | Geopolitical case study

I ended seven wars and in all cases they were raging with countless thousands of people being killed. This includes Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India. A vicious violent war that was. Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan. It included all of them. Hi everybody. Donald Trump keeps on bragging about stopping seven global conflicts and wars. And every time he brags about stopping a war, he sounds like the messiah of world peace. No president or prime minister, and for that matter no other country has ever done anything close to that. And I did it in just seven months. Very honored to have done that. Well, guess what? While Donald Trump was lying to our faces, behind the curtain, America's war machine was printing money like never before. Around the globe, conflict is on the rise, and the weapons fueling gets deadlier and more destructive than ever. The US weapons industry, what impact is it having on our world? Well, they're not just making the weapons. What they're doing is that they are creating a narrative with their dollars. >> We've ever had in history for military $1 trillion latest weapons, and you know, I hate to do it because we believe in peace through strength. >> While Vietnam was burning, Colt Industries, the company that manufactured the guns that were used in Vietnam war, was making record profits of 160 to 190 million dollars. Then, after 9/11, when America invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, during the invasion, Lockheed Martin stock price alone shot up by almost 900% from 2001 to 2020. And here's the irony. While America poured billions into Ukraine with weapons and aid, the average New York Stock Exchange index fell by 7%. But during the same time, Lockheed Martin stock price shot up by 42%, NG shot up by 34%, and General Dynamics shot up by 22%. So, while politicians sell you peace on TV, the business of war is doubling investor portfolios with each passing war. That is how America realized that war is not a foreign policy, it's the greatest startup they ever built. And the best part is, it's made in America. As Russian troops poured across Ukraine's border, the stock prices of the biggest US weapons manufacturers spiked. >> Aerospace company Lockheed Martin pushing to help the United States stay ahead in the defense industry. The US has supplied countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt with complex weapon systems. The weapons industry is big business. So, we went through some dark pages of history and public reports to uncover something that will send shivers down your spine. The question is, how did America design this billion-dollar war machine where politics, companies, and generals all play to win? Who actually benefits when the world starts burning? And most importantly, is war America's greatest startup ever? [Music] This video is brought to you by the Communication Masterclass course. 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On top of that, I will personally be hand-holding you during our bi-weekly live sessions so that all your challenges, all your doubts, and all your problems are solved during the course itself. So, if you want to excel at your career, and if you want to become a confident leader, click the link in the description, and I will see you in the live session. [Music] This is a story that dates back to World War II. While most people think that the US entered the World War as soon as Hitler started invading Europe, surprisingly, the US was not even interested in the World War. They were only interested in one thing, trade, trade, and trade. In fact, the US was so unserious about their army that the US Army was ranked 19th in the world, even behind Portugal in terms of size. But on 7th of December, 1941, something horrifying happened. It starts with a horrific surprise attack. Then spreads like a tidal wave. Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States of America by bombing the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. For those who don't know, by the time World War II started, Japan had already transformed from a relatively small island nation into a major imperial power. They modernized their military, built a strong industrial base, and developed one of the most disciplined and aggressive armies and navies in the world. In fact, by 1941, Japan had already annexed Korea, Taiwan, and they'd conquered large parts of China. And over the next year, they went on to conquer Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, and even Cambodia. But this is when America started to choke Japan economically. Since the American people were not interested in war, America used its trade policies to put economic pressure on Japan. So, what did America do? Well, the US cut off oil exports to Japan, which crippled their navy and air force. They froze Japanese bank accounts and assets in American banks, which strangled their finances. And even worse, America started giving weapons and supplies to China, which was just about to be conquered by Japan. So, the Japanese got so angry that they decided to poke the United States of America with a surprise attack. This is the reason why they attacked Pearl Harbor and killed 2,400 Americans, including sailors, soldiers, and civilians. And this is when, ladies and gentlemen, America declared a war against Japan. The United States of America are united as never before. Geography puts upon them the greatest burden in this war with Japan. American industry and our hands has the stimulus of war to gear it up to production on a scale unequal by any other country. Aircraft will come from the factories in an imagined number. Tanks will flow from the production lines. And now America was committed with its every resource to seeing the grim war to its bitter end. Now, mind you, this wasn't just a regular declaration of war. America transformed overnight from a sleeping giant into a roaring beast. They ramped up production like never before. Factories switched from making cars to making tanks and planes. Men and women enlisted by the millions, and the entire country of America was raging with war cry. But this is where, ladies and gentlemen, US faced a massive challenge. Like I said, US companies were not interested in war at all. So, the entire American military only had 17 battleships in their navy and just seven aircraft carriers. At the same time, even after the declaration of war, American companies were scared to invest in weapons manufacturing. Why? Because think about it. If the US gave you a contract to manufacture 2,000 aircrafts, you would need millions of workers, millions of dollars worth of equipments, and a lot of investment in raw material. But tomorrow, suddenly the war stops, the contract could be revoked, your investment would be wasted, and you could go bankrupt. So, there was no guarantee on what could happen in war and when would the war end. So, the US government came out with a genius strategy. This was called the guaranteed profit contracts strategy. And here's how it worked out. If manufacturing one plane costs your factory $50,000, and you get a contract to build 2,000 planes, that's $100 million in direct costs. With a cost-plus contract, the government agrees to pay you all your actual costs plus an additional fixed percentage as profit. So, if your contract guarantees 10% profit, and the war ends early after building only 1,500 planes costing $75 million, the government will still pay you the full $75 million that you spent plus an additional 10% profit, as in $7.5 million, even if the contract wasn't finished. This means your investment is protected, and you have no financial risk of losing money if the contract is cut short. So, do you realize it was practically a jackpot for American companies to invest in weapons. And this is where, ladies and gentlemen, the war machine of America started roaring. Ford converted its plant into a bomber factory and produced one B-24 bomber every single hour. General Motors shifted from cars and trucks to building tanks, aircraft engines, and even military trucks. And Boeing transformed into a powerhouse to produce B-17 bombers. And if this was not enough, America even put together $2 billion, almost $30 billion in today's money, into something called the Manhattan Project. And just like Japan surprised America, America surprised Japan with two nuclear bombs. In the summer of 1945, the Manhattan Project achieves its aim. 3 2 1 There can be no peace in the world until the military power of Japan is destroyed. In 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is how, ladies and gentlemen, America got Japan to surrender and the World War came to an end with the death of Hitler. Now, as soon as the war ended, most people thought that the US Army would disband, soldiers would go back home, and US would downsize their defense investment. But unfortunately, now America had one big problem. America spent so much money on defense that by 1945, they had the largest navy in the world, the largest air force in the world, and the defense industry alone generated 40% of the US GDP. Now, do you understand what 40% of GDP means? The US economy was so dependent on defense production that 17 million Americans, almost 13% of America's entire population, was dependent only on war material production. So, when 17 million Americans were fed by war machines, peace wasn't an option, it was a threat to their paycheck. And with such a large chunk of population dependent on defense jobs, politicians quickly realized that jobs equals votes, and jobs needed weapons. So, no elected official wanted to risk the anger of people losing their livelihoods. And lastly, the weapons makers realized that war isn't just business, it is the mother of all profit machines. So, the longer the conflict, the heavier their pocket. In fact, President Dwight Eisenhower famously warned the nation about this powerful alliance called the military-industrial complex. This complex is essentially a circle of influence in America where defense companies fund politicians' campaigns, politicians approve bigger military budgets in return, so the Pentagon awards lucrative contracts back to those companies, and retired generals join these companies to eventually influence the American government again. And this cycle continues and keeps growing stronger with each passing year. And this was very evident in the post-World War period. When there was no war and no clear enemy, what the hell would the US do with so many weapons? Well, the solution was surprisingly simple. America just needed to invent a new enemy. This enemy was none other than the Soviet Union. Why? Because just like the kings used religion to wage a war against another kingdom of a different religion, America used capitalism to oppose the communism of the Soviet Union. So, in 1947, the American leaders declared that the US would oppose communism anywhere in the world by any means necessary. I repeat, anywhere in the world by any means necessary. This is where, ladies and gentlemen, the American propaganda machine painted the Soviets as villains in every possible way. Whether that was speeches, newspapers, Hollywood films, even school textbooks were used to instill fear of Soviets in the minds of the American people. Now, can you imagine, guys? This reveals a critical weakness in democracy. Think about it. Democracy relies on the consent of the people who are free to choose whatever is right. But the problem is that that consent can actually be manufactured with propaganda. In this case, since the communists were demonized in every manner possible, the American people only voted for those politicians who supported the war against communists. And with this consent, America did something absolutely horrible. A classic example of the same was the Vietnam War. In 1954, Vietnam split into communist North Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh, and non-communist South Vietnam. And nobody, including the US, cared about Vietnam until this point. Vietnam was just another poor country, it was far away from the US, and it had nothing to do with America. In fact, most people in Vietnam back then didn't even know where the hell was United States on the map. But somehow, the United States of America convinced its people that the communists are capturing Vietnam, and it was their moral obligation to protect Vietnam from communism. So, guess what? In the 1960s, the United States suddenly decided to send thousands of American soldiers into Vietnam. And by the end of the decade, the United States had 530,000 soldiers, as in 530,000 soldiers stationed in Vietnam. And look at this, in 2024 dollars, the US spent between 50 to 90 billion dollars every single year for the next 10 years in the Vietnam War. And you know how many bombs US dropped on North Vietnam? They dropped 4 million tons of bombs from 1965 to 1975. That's 45 tons of bombs per hour for 10 straight years. So, while millions of people burned, died, and bled in Vietnam, America's war machine wasn't just fighting, it was printing cash. Look at this. Bell Helicopter produced 16,000 Huey helicopters, and its sales shot up from $150 million in 1962 to $2 billion by 1967. Raytheon made $620 million from US government contracts in just 1968. And Brown & Root bagged a $380 million contract just to build roads, ports, and bases in Vietnam. So, if you think about this model, for politicians, it was war that got them votes. For soldiers, it was a nightmare. But for the American companies, Vietnam was a goldmine. And what's even sadder is that America even dropped bombs in Cambodia, which had nothing to do with Vietnam War. And you know why they bombed Cambodia? Because the North Vietnamese soldiers used the Cambodian land for hiding and logistics. Even after 19 years, 5 months, and 29 days, the American Army couldn't protect South Vietnam. Eventually, they left South Vietnam, and the North Vietnamese soldiers took control of the country. The final victory of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese in South Vietnam. For 20 years, from 1955 to 1975, the Americans waged war in Vietnam. Nearly 4 million people died in this conflict. [Music] They practically left South Vietnam high and dry after 19 years. This is how the Americans learned a hard lesson. So, after learning this lesson, did they stop after the Vietnam War? No. No. No. They then funded the Gulf War between Iran and Iraq in 1990 and 1991. And the funniest thing is this picture. This picture shows Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein in 1974. The same guy in 2003 was also leading the procedure where Saddam Hussein was being hanged. You know why? Because the US first funded Saddam Hussein, which made him the ruler of Iraq. And when he became very powerful, he invaded Kuwait. So, suddenly, the US realized that it was a terrible idea. So, they then invaded Kuwait and hanged Saddam Hussein calling him a terrorist. So, yeah, these people first funded Saddam Hussein, who then killed people, and then they only called Saddam Hussein a terrorist and hanged him. And the cost of this mistake was about $61 billion. And when the Cold War got over after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, America found another enemy again. This time it was Afghanistan after the 2001 attacks. Now, we all know what happened over here. The US occupied Afghanistan to kill Osama bin Laden. Then they played hide and seek with him for about 10 years, and then they realized, "Shit, bro is hiding in Pakistan." So, they killed him, and even after that, they decided to spend another 10 years chilling in the mountains of Afghanistan. And what did they do? Well, they said they wanted to develop and stabilize Afghanistan. But even after 21 years of occupation, the US couldn't do anything significant. And they eventually left Afghanistan in poverty, despair, and one giant question mark asking, "Why did they stay for the next 10 years even after killing Osama bin Laden?" So, yes, like I said before, the strongest military in the world couldn't beat some dudes in chappals even after 21 years. And the bill for the Afghan War was about $2 trillion. Yes, $2 trillion. So, where did $2 trillion go? Well, there is a document to tell the world how their own funds were misused, resulting into little to no significant change in Afghanistan. I'll attach it in the description. But the moral of the story still remains the same. American weapon companies made a lot of money. This is how, ladies and gentlemen, conflict fuels profits, and profits fuel conflict to turn American weapon companies into money-making machines. And now, the new edition of war just released in 2022 with a Ukraine aid. So, here's the truth. Behind every headline about war and conflict, there's a well-oiled machine running in the shadows. A complex web where governments, corporations, and politicians profit from chaos while millions suffer. The US defense industrial complex isn't just defending a nation, it's fueling endless wars, turning destruction into dollars. And ironically, peace in the system becomes a threat to livelihoods and profits. And as long as this cycle continues, the world will keep paying the price in lives lost, economies shattered, and futures stolen. So, it's time we ask ourselves, who really benefits from war? And how do we exactly break free from this deadly loop that turns weapons into cash cows? Because until we do, history will keep repeating itself, and the war machine will always keep winning. This is what we can learn from this case study. That's all from my side for today, guys. If you learned something valuable, please make sure to hit the like button in order to make YouTube algorithm happy. And for more such insightful business and political case studies, please subscribe to our channel. Thank you so much for watching. I will see you in the next one. Bye-bye. [Music]