Peace for sale3

Tuesday, 23 November 2010 | Filed under Peace-making

Putting peace for sale may sound preposterous but actually if you truly explore the notion it makes sense. To me it makes perfect sense. We all know war is a global business. The biggest beneficiaries are the developed nations that profit from it.  Despite its financial woes the United States has emerged in the last few years as the world’s leading supplier of weapons. In fact it has expanded its global market share to more than two-thirds of all foreign armaments deals.

The U.S. is world’s leading supplier of weapons

According to the Congressional Research Service, a division of the Library of Congress the United States signed weapons agreements valued at USD37.8 billion in 2008 or 68.4 percent of all business in the global arms market, a significant increase from sales of USD25.4 billion the year before.

Italy was second with USD3.7 billion and Russia third with USD3.5 billion sales in 2008.

In a study titled “Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations” the report said that America had responded to major new orders coming from clients in the Near East and Asia.

Over 70 percent of global sales are to developing countries

Weapons sales to developing nations reached USD42.2 billion in 2008, in other words, 70.1 percent of all global deals.

I am putting forward the idea that peace can be good business too. In fact it makes better business sense than profiting from a business that promotes conflict, kills and maims innocent people, overturns functional families into refugees and contributes to escalate poverty.

War between people has been the source of all the world’s ills, not counting the devastation wreaked by nature, of course. Poor countries spend a large percentage of their budgets on the purchase of weapons and by doing so they channel funds to developed countries when that money should have been used to feed, clothe, shelter and educate their own people.

War is big business, employing millions, investing hundreds of millions on ingenious ways to kill and destroy. If you really think about it, it is ridiculous that we, as human beings, have reached this level of madness.

I wonder how these people working daily in their labs testing weapons can go home to their safe and secure homes without any pricking of their conscience. How do they sleep at night?

We must stop this madness

It is time for people to wake up and be aware of the destruction we are participants of. If the powers that be won’t stop the business of war, then those on the ground should refuse to be involved in any portion that contributes to creating these weapons.

War is not something that happens to other people. It has a way of boomeranging and coming home to roost.

Peace makes better business sense

Peace is a global business. It’s just that we don’t realize it. Those war mongers, after making their profits will spend their blood money in places where they can laze by the beach enjoying the soft breezes and warm sun of tropical island resorts.

Their wives shop in the fashion capitals of the world while their children will go to the best schools.

These are all in places where peace is part of the business proposition. Peace means different things to different people and many will pay top dollar for it.

Peace means privacy to the rich and famous. It is about style and comfort, too. You need peace to create a conducive environment for the lifestyle of the wealthy.

Peace makes the world a better place, even the warmongers crave it

But peace is also peddled by countries wooing investors. You need peace to set up industrial zones and commercial centres. You need peace to build the human resource that will staff the factories, supermarkets, banks and all range of retail and non-retail businesses.

You need peace for farmers to nurture the crops that feed us all. You need peace for fishermen to risk their lives out on the sea.

You need peace for children to grow up strong and healthy, imbued with the right values and appreciative of their cultural heritage.

You need peace to plan for the future.

The price of peace — fast becoming a rare commodity

I am a purchaser of peace. It is a commodity that is becoming rare in a world rent apart by conflict on one hand and damaged by nature’ s capriciousness on the other.

What then is the price of peace?

Peace is the opposite of war. If war is everything that is negative, then peace is everything that is positive.

The price for peace is goodwill, values, ethics, integrity, truth, honesty, sincerity, kindness, concern, care, morals, principles, compassion, benevolence and more of similar ilk.

Certainly the price for peace is not cheap. It means sacrifices and recognizing that every individual has a basic right to purchase peace.

Peace is for sale to anyone at anytime. Peace makes us who we really are.