We hear much about the daily events in Ukraine…Discussions of who is funding weapons and technology is mentioned regularly in the press. Which side is winning and losing specific battles is also, and rightly, of interest. The details of carnage and rare successes draw the interest and ire of readers, leaders, and humanitarians alike. The complexities surrounding what countries and individuals are supporting which sides of the conflict; and who is staying out of the debate for a variety of reasons related to their own self-interests is similarly mentioned. All this information is thought-provoking, morally correct to be watching, and important. Below are a few thoughts on who is actually winning and who is losing as a result of the war.
The biggest losers for the time being are the Ukrainian people who have had their lives severely impacted by the war. The people of Europe are seeing waves of refugees and limited fuel flowing to their country, with a real possibility of war in the continent and possible nuclear fallout. The United States taxpayer is defending Ukraine through billions of dollars which is financing the military industrial complex while simultaneously being threatened with a nuclear confrontation with Russia and experiencing a loss of confidence that the United States will do the right thing when the chips are down. Other losers are the Russian people who are seeing their young people return from the war badly injured or in body bags by the thousands losing more people in less than a year than United States lost in Afghanistan in over 20 years. The Russian soldiers have been dragged into a war by their own leadership. And this is a war that most Russians do not support as the Russian people tire of seeing their sons and daughters being killed by the thousands and their economy plummeting. President Vladimir Putin, who has lost face across the globe as well as faith by his own people is seeing a mass exodus of draft-eligible people from his country.
Not all are losing from the war in Ukraine. The Indians are buying cheap fuel from Russia as they continue their voting record in the United Nations Security Council where India’s votes are closely aligned to Russia and counter to the United States. And India continues to be the top supplier of arms to Russia. The Iranians and North Korea are selling drones, missiles, and other military equipment to Russia. But perhaps the biggest winner of the war thus far is the international military industrial complex which is making tens of billions of dollars in sales for equipment that is rolling into Ukraine.
The U.S. oil industry could have been the greatest financial winner of the war thus far had the United States been moving natural gas and oil to Europe as soon as there was a possibility of a war.
This war could have been prevented. And there is a way to end it now. Please see our next blogs for thoughts on both issues.
