Why Do We Still Accept War as Normal in 2025?
Introduction: The Oldest Trick in the Book
It is the year 2025. Human civilization has reached extraordinary heights in science, technology, and communication. We have artificial intelligence capable of processing complex data in seconds, medical advancements that have nearly eradicated diseases, and an interconnected world where information travels faster than ever before. Yet, despite all of this, we are still sending people to kill each other at the command of political leaders and corporate interests.
The idea that war is a necessary evil has been ingrained into every society for centuries. The justifications change—security, democracy, defense, economic stability—but the outcome remains the same. The people who order wars do not fight in them. The ones who fund them do not feel their consequences. The burden always falls on ordinary citizens, who are told they must sacrifice for a cause they had no say in creating.
The Modern War Machine and Who Benefits
War is not about securing freedom or protecting democracy. If it were, we would not see the same countries launching conflicts, financing armed groups, and profiting from destruction year after year. The military-industrial complex ensures that war remains a permanent feature of global politics, regardless of its necessity or effectiveness.
The U.S. military budget exceeds $800 billion annually, larger than the next ten countries combined. This level of funding is not about defense—it is about maintaining an industry that thrives on perpetual conflict.
Defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing make billions in profits from military engagements. Every conflict creates new demand for weapons, surveillance, and defense technology, turning war into an economic necessity rather than a last resort.
Political leaders use war to consolidate power, rallying nationalistic sentiment while suppressing dissent under the guise of security concerns. Civil liberties are often curtailed, media narratives are controlled, and populations are encouraged to fear external threats rather than question internal corruption.
Who Pays the Price?
The consequences of war are not felt by those who start them. Politicians do not fight on the front lines. Corporate executives do not experience the destruction of their homes. The financial elite do not see their lives disrupted. The human cost of war is always pushed onto the working class, the poor, and the disenfranchised.
The majority of soldiers come from low-income backgrounds, recruited with promises of financial stability, education, and healthcare—basic rights that should not require military service to obtain.
Civilian populations in conflict zones bear the brunt of military actions, suffering displacement, starvation, and loss of life while their governments negotiate over power and resources.
War diverts funding away from social programs, infrastructure, and economic development, ensuring that essential public services remain underfunded while military spending continues to rise.
The Cycle of War: How It Keeps Repeating
War follows a predictable pattern. The details change, but the process remains consistent.
An Enemy is Identified
Political leaders and media outlets begin highlighting a perceived threat, framing it as an existential danger that must be confronted.
Reports emphasize instability, weapons development, or human rights violations, selectively choosing information that justifies military intervention.
Moral Justification is Provided
The conflict is framed as a fight for freedom, democracy, or justice, making opposition to war seem unpatriotic or morally wrong.
The narrative is simplified, reducing complex geopolitical situations into a binary of good versus evil.
Military Action Begins
Airstrikes, invasions, or covert operations commence, often without clear long-term objectives.
Reports of success are heavily publicized, while civilian casualties and unintended consequences are downplayed.
Profits Are Made
Defense contractors secure multi-billion-dollar contracts, weapons sales increase, and private military companies expand their influence.
Politicians responsible for war policy secure campaign funding and lobbying support from the defense sector.
Public Support Fades, the War is Declared a Mistake, and the Process Begins Again
Eventually, public fatigue sets in. Revelations emerge about government deception, war crimes, or economic costs.
The war ends without achieving its stated goals, but by then, the next conflict is already being prepared.
This cycle has repeated for centuries. The only difference is the scale and the technology used to carry it out.
The Manufactured Consent for War
Despite the historical failures of war, governments have become highly skilled at convincing people that each new conflict is necessary. Fear is a powerful tool, and the idea that an external threat must be met with force is deeply embedded in nationalistic rhetoric.
War is framed as inevitable, with leaders claiming that diplomacy has failed or that inaction would be more dangerous.
Opposition to war is equated with weakness or a lack of patriotism, silencing dissent before it can gain traction.
The media plays a crucial role in shaping public perception, selectively reporting on conflicts in ways that align with government policy and corporate interests.
Even in a world where information is more accessible than ever, propaganda remains a driving force behind public support for military action.
What Would It Take to End War?
War is not a natural state of human existence. It is a system that has been reinforced by those who benefit from it, and like any system, it can be dismantled. The question is whether people are willing to recognize the ways in which they are manipulated into accepting it.
If military service were not tied to economic opportunity, recruitment would decline. People would no longer be forced into service as a means of escaping poverty.
If the public rejected the manufactured fear that fuels conflict, governments would have a harder time justifying military interventions.
If war were not profitable, it would not continue at its current scale. A shift in economic priorities would remove the incentives that drive perpetual conflict.
Ending war requires a fundamental change in the way society views power, security, and governance. As long as war remains a tool for political and economic gain, it will continue. The only way to stop it is to remove the mechanisms that sustain it.
Conclusion: The Ultimate Cost
The people who send others to war do not experience its consequences. They do not suffer from its destruction, nor do they sacrifice their own lives for the causes they claim to believe in. War has persisted not because it is necessary, but because it has been designed to serve the interests of those who will never fight in it.
The most dangerous lie ever told is that war is inevitable. It is not. It is a choice made by those in power, and it is a choice that can be refused. The question is whether enough people will recognize it before the cycle repeats again.
Source List
The Guardian – The Business of War: How the Military-Industrial Complex Profits from Conflict
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/02/03/military-industrial-complex-war-profitsThe Atlantic – Why War Still Exists: The Hidden Incentives Behind Perpetual Conflict
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/02/war-profit-power-controlReuters – Global Military Spending Hits Record High Amid Rising Conflicts
https://www.reuters.com/world/2025/02/03/global-military-spending-surgesNew York Times – Who Really Pays the Price for War?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/war-economic-impactRolling Stone – Manufacturing War: How the Government Creates Enemies to Justify Conflict
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/war-machine-manufactured-threatsThe Intercept – Endless War is a Feature, Not a Bug
https://theintercept.com/2025/02/03/us-foreign-policy-perpetual-war
There is no justification for war that outweighs the human cost. It continues because the people who start it never have to fight in it. Until that changes, the cycle will persist.
