The never-ending conflict in Palestine and the atrocities committed in the Gaza region have been one for the books. The alleged war crimes committed and the lack of effective application of international mechanisms to aid those civilians and other individuals that have been caught in the crossfire of the war have undoubtedly changed the future of the region.
Throughout the last few months, the main storyline of western news outlets has been about how the Hamas organization is a problem to the region—that unquestionably is so—and that this group’s actions are the ones to blame for Israel’s long-lasting “self-defense” attacks, which has left many pondering why the conflict is taking so long to be resolved. Or better yet, if there’s any interest for it to ever be solved.
Of course, the latter option might be a little exaggerated; what it means is that the war itself certainly is worrying the international community enough for them to be active in providing solutions that will inevitably save thousands of lives in the region, but the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and especially the armed nature of the conflict, might be generating enough profit for some powerful companies that might just have the upper hand in keeping this conflict going.
Earlier this week, we got confirmation from Seoul officials that Hamas had been using North Korean weapons during this conflict. This allegation comes after the denial of North Korea about the trade, but the South Korean intelligence agency had enough evidence (a photo released to the media where Hamas fighters are seen using launchers manufactured in North Korea) to support its claim and get support from the international community.
So the question is: how good can war be? And the answer is, for arms manufacturers: great. Clearly, there is a standing industry in our current society that enriches itself with every conflict that exists. They really have a certain demand for weapons that grows with the start of every new conflict around the globe.
North Korea, beyond allegedly manufacturing weapons for Hamas, is also said to be supplying Russia with weapons in their “war,” or better said, attacks, against Ukraine. And they are not the first or only country to be known to have a particular interest in wars, especially when their international influence can secure their victorious spot.
The United States is notorious for spending to secure the advancement of its interests both nationally and internationally. In 2022, we saw about 390 billion dollars used by the US on military contracts to secure weaponry and military services from defense contractors across the globe. The US is considered a main supplier of military goods for their allies abroad, including the IDF’s homeland of Israel.
In other words, the presence of the US in the Israel and Palestine conflict goes beyond their fallacious claims to “secure democracy” in the Middle East and can be easily correlated to the fact that they are profiting millions from Israel’s demand for their goods and services. In a similar comparison to how North Korea has profited these last years, the war between Russia and Ukraine has also provided the US with a nice sum of money.
In the international and diplomatic side of things, all this information culminates in the fact that there is a direct interest in many nations in conflicts, going directly against their international promises to protect human lives from all types of wars, and that no nation can utilize indiscriminate attacks that can affect civilians according to humanitarian law, like we have been seeing get done in both Palestine and Ukraine.
As war continues, the weapons industry reaps unimaginable quantities of profits that can move entire economies, turning it into a business for the development of a nation: supplying weapons. As noted, North Korea and the US are two prime examples of how things work in current times, but their investment in military services can be dated far back in history.
The sad part is that it is difficult for any of these countries to ever be held accountable for their damaging actions for the achievement of international peace and security. The humanitarian cause has never before looked so indifferent for the international community, where money trumps over ethics in a game of who can destroy who the fastest.
The European Institute for International Law and International Relations
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