Episode 79 - "Death Dealers"

Merchants of Death. War Profiteers. Death Dealers. These are the people who fan the flames of war to transmute human suffering into profit. They play one nation against another to sell to both sides. Although the international community condemned these actors as conspirers in the tensions leading up to WWI, no policy effectively curbed their influence. In fact, such is the clout of wealth and power accumulated through arms deals that these merchants of death now litter the administrations of our governments’ institutions. Their presence is felt in the profligate overspending that results in $10,000 toilet seats for military cargo planes, it is seen in the constant rebuke of humanitarian law, and it is revealed through the habits of our politicians who espouse ideals of democracy and freedom while pedaling billions of dollars of weapons into regions rife with human rights abuse and violent conflict.

As our world clings ever more desperately to life, it seems our leaders can think of nothing but death.

Chapters

• 15:05 Economy of War
• 25:52 Basil Zaharoff
• 34:53 European disagreement over Saudi arms exports
• 39:05 America says no
• 40:40 Do we sell arms to human rights abusers?
• 48:50 Is there an economic benefit to arms exports?
• 53:34 Costs not included in economic figures
• 1:00:09 Things that maybe should not be a business
• 1:04:19 What enables notorious Merchants of Death?

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