Profiting from war represents real intention of U.S.

The era of the Cold War is already more than 30 years in the past. And yet, NATO has never stopped pursuing its eastward expansion, which eventually led to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The U.S., the backstage manipulator of NATO’s eastward expansion, and which has already raked in huge profits from the conflict, has not only benefited from the conflict, but also has attempted to seek hegemony amid tensions.

Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, the stock prices of relevant companies have all dropped, but those of American military companies have meanwhile soared. The stock prices of U.S. military firms Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies Corporation increased by about 13 percent and 10 percent, respectively, in the most recent nearly one-month period. Gregory J. Hayes, CEO of Raytheon Technologies Corporation, said his company will benefit from the tensions now unfolding around the world.

This is not the first time that the Americans have profited from a war, and the repeated conduct of the U.S. in its raking in profits from wars around the world are just too numerous to count. According to a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on March 14, the overall volume of international transfers of major arms between 2017 and 2021 was lower than that between 2012 and 2016. However, during the same period, the arms exports of the U.S. increased significantly. The U.S. is the world’s largest arms exporter, while crises and wars undoubtedly provide hotbeds for U.S. military companies and American politicians to make a fortune.

In addition to supporting American arms producers, there are other measures that Washington has taken to allow the U.S. to profit from wars. Plundering and controlling the energy markets has always been an important aim of the U.S. government in instigating confrontations and waging wars around the world. The U.S. authorities, while saying that they stand on the side of peace and justice, are actually thinking about how to get more Americans engaged in what is a lucrative business.

The rights and wrongs in the Russia-Ukraine crisis can and will be witnessed by all. The U.S. has exposed its selfishness and hypocrisy by pouring fuel on the fire. Washington is the one that is profiting from the conflict, and the Americans may be the only ones who benefit from the conflict.

While taking advantage of the conflict to rake in huge profits, the U.S. has also reinforced the bloc that it established by ganging up with its Western allies, and has attempted to contain its “imaginary enemies,” thus further exacerbating divisions and confrontations between countries and then taking advantage of these divisions and confrontations to consolidate its global hegemony.

In the meantime, with the U.S. government failing to curb such persistent domestic problems as the country’s political divides, ethnic conflicts, and rising violent crimes, not to mention the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus and rampant high inflation, a conflict in Europe offers a perfect opportunity that U.S. politicians can make use of in order to serve U.S. domestic political purposes and distract the attention of the American public from domestic contradictions.

However, the whole world is paying a price as the U.S. seeks selfish gains. Led by the U.S., Western countries have imposed all-round and undifferentiated sanctions against Russia, which not only has complicated the situation in the region, but has also struck a heavy blow to the world economy. Affected by a rise in the prices of bulk commodities, many countries and regions, including the Eurozone, are seeing soaring inflation, which is severely straining the livelihoods of the common people residing in these various European countries and regions.

Europe is entering a difficult phase in its history. The region will face, in the short term, higher inflation and slower growth. There is considerable uncertainty about how large these effects will be and how long they will last for, Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), pointed out.

For a long time, the U.S. has instigated confrontations and conflicts in countries around the world in an attempt to make a fortune, severely undermining international peace and stability. The tricks of American leaders will sooner or later be seen through for what they are. The U.S., by hyping up threats of wars, aggravating regional conflicts, profiting from tensions in relevant countries, and raking in huge profits from crises at the expense of its allies and even the whole world, is bound to be resisted and opposed by the international community of nations.