When we have a glimpse of history thousands of scary wars with millions of causalities unfold before our eyes. According to the study of William Eckhardt since 3000BC around 151 million lost their lives in wars. Most of these horrible games were played to fulfill wicked appetites of political elites. As exemplified by World War-I which broke out owing to the assassination of the Hungarian prince Similarly, World War II was modeled by the elitist political centric mindset pictured as the Nazism of Adolf Hitler and Fascism of Benito Mussolini.

War is manufactured by political leaders who mobilize a normally reluctant population.

Many peace-building institutions, agreements, and theoretical perspectives were introduced in the interim to reduce the risk of war and to maintain perpetual peace. Despite, these measures the elitist political agendas prevailed and wars remained inevitable. The same script is being followed in the 21st Century where Elites like Narendra Damodardas Modi’s false flag operations are designed to construct an emotional dynamic to grab sentiment-driven votes.

Likewise, the same approach has been used by Benjamin Netanyahu who initiated another war merely to cover up corruption charges against him. Karl Marx is not simply an economic scholar but his theory can also be applied to how the capitalist elites benefit from wars.

Vladimir Lenin who wrote about the highest stage of capitalism argues that wars between imperialist powers are led by unevenness in the rate of growth. Furthermore, the World System Theory of Immanuel Wallerstein shed light on how the global capitalist system is the cause of conflict between the core and periphery. Howard Zinn who states, “War is manufactured by political leaders who make a tremendous effort by enticement, by propaganda, by coercion to mobilize a normally reluctant population to go to war” in simplified way he wanted to emphasize on how wars serve elite interest but is sold to the public who is dragged into the war.

Elites like Modi and Netanyahu weaponise conflict to secure votes or deflect corruption.

Another prominent theory is the Divisionary war theory which is centered on the core idea that political leaders escalate the conflict to distract the voting class from domestic problems. The inference of all the presented thoughts indicates the elitist interests in wars both in political and economic domains whereas the proletariats are concerned they are only fed with emotionalism, nationalism, and political manipulation.

The elites and their interest are interlinked with each other. This is evident from the recent escalation between Iran and the United States. According to Donald Trump, Iran informed the United States before attacking US airbases in Qatar. Likewise, Iran was informed about the US bombing of its nuclear sites. Both of the elites knew what was coming next but the agony here is that the public of Iran, Israel, and the US are celebrating their victories the ones who lost their lives and resources in this manufactured conflict.

The weapons that were used in operation Midnight Hammer, were B-2 bombers along with 125 US military aircrafts. According to the New York Times, the cost of flying B-2 stealth bombers could be around $130,000 to $150,000 per hour. This money was not an elitist property but came from the tax of the local public has clearly gained nothing out of this fabricated drama. Correspondingly, hundreds of lives of the Iranian and Israeli public were lost owing to dominant elite strategies.

The paradox that develops here is that the institutions that are the embodiment of peace are influenced by the same elitist that exploit peace and stability to fulfill their own political ambitions. These institutions have no commitment to peace which is clear after their negligence to genocide happening in Palestine. Undemocratic means like Veto are used in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to undo any resolution that is not beneficial to the elite community.

Institutions meant for peace are bent by the same elites who thrive on war.

Media is considered an important pillar of democracy bearing responsibility to hold political leadership accountable for their acts. In addition, it was created to educate society but is widely used to propagate these elitist manufactured agendas. It is often used as a tool not to provide information but to serve specific groups by creating propaganda. Jingoistic media platforms fuel nationalistic, war-oriented narratives. Media should be used to spread the domestic grievances and disparities of the citizens rather than being war-honkers.

War is never favorable to those who do not hold any modes of economic production or political offices. The beneficiaries and the suffering class of war belong to different and unequal groups of society. The general public of any state is primarily concerned about their protection and seeking peace and expects their tax contributions to be directed towards fulfilling basic essential needs.

Broader societies should create awareness of their essentials and should protect themselves from falling prey to such narratives. A famous saying by Neville Chamberlain, “In war, whichever side might call itself the victor, there are no winners but all the losers”.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.