The Business of War is a Moral Collapse of the World

Most of us felt hopeful when India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire after their latest military escalation, with India strongly reiterating its commitment to fight terror. We felt that this will help in bringing peace in the subcontinent.

But what followed shook millions.

The stock prices of arms manufacturers surged immediately. The media debated the precision of weapons like they were reviewing the latest smartphone. France’s Rafales versus China’s J-10Cs has become the trending debate.

The quality of Russian and American fighter jets is also being marketed in the media. What should have been a moment of solemn reflection turned into a media-fuelled contest for influence and profit in the global arms market. Meanwhile, the real consequences of war—lives lost, families displaced—were pushed aside.

In the past, I have met countless innocent survivors of war from several countries. I have spoken to survivors of the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts.

Ten years ago, I was at a Syrian refugee camp in Germany, where many men, women, and children, all bearing the scars of war, had sought refuge. As I walked through that haunting landscape, I noticed a child, about 10 years old. He was in a wheelchair, yet his eyes sparkled with resilience. I asked him about his life, and what he said left me speechless. He told me that he had lost his leg—and his father—in a bomb blast. In the chaos that followed, as survivors fled in panic, he was separated from his mother.

For a moment, I was overcome with grief. Then I asked, “What do you want to do in the future? Do you want to study?” I will never forget the conviction and determination in his voice as he replied, “I want to go back to my village and rebuild my house and all other houses that were destroyed in the war. I want security and education.”

Thankfully the bomb that claimed his father’s life was not sophisticated or precise enough, and the boy could survive. Maybe the stock prices of its manufacturer dipped that day.

The ongoing debate on the arms market is not an isolated incident. The wars in Gaza and Ukraine have brought staggering profits to weapons manufacturers. Conflicts have become the most lucrative showrooms and testing labs for the global arms industry.

Every bomb dropped, every missile fired inflates the value of the next arms deal, while the media acts as unofficial advertisers for these companies.

In such a world, wars are a dress rehearsal for defence companies and a source of data for investors. But for children huddled under shattered roofs, for families fleeing smoke-filled skies, it is nothing short of terror.

This is no accident; it is a system designed this way. The war industry thrives on conflicts, and the accuracy and efficiency of arms in causing mass destruction. Peace does not boost stock prices, but bombs do. As long as conflicts deliver profits, peace will be side-lined.

Did you know the world spends over $7 billion every single day on military activities? Compare that to the $40 billion a year we need to end world hunger—less than a week’s worth of global military expenditure.

Just five days of this military expenditure is enough to provide healthcare, education, and protection to every child in all low-income countries. What kind of world spends more on destruction than it does on life? We are told that arms are essential for national security. But what type of security system allows weapons to thrive while children starve?

So let us ask: Who profits from war? And who pays for it in blood?

We must recognize peace as a moral duty. We need leaders who place humanity before hostility. And we must raise our voices against violence, as well as the war industry that profits from it.

I refuse to accept a world where children are collateral damage. I refuse to believe that bombs are more powerful than love. War begets war. But I have also seen how compassion can be just as contagious.

In October 2023, upon my call, 103 Nobel laureates from all disciplines collectively demanded that every Palestinian and Israeli child must be prioritized and protected as they are all our children.

A single act of compassion can ignite a fire that spreads across borders, transcending politics and reaching hearts everywhere. Let us demand a world where peace and humanity are the ultimate priorities. Let us globalise compassion.