7 ms·

Is there anything bad to be defense contractor of your country?

jlangenauer 9y ago
A purely "defense" contractor, protecting the country itself? No, nothing wrong with that. But what is euphemistically called "defense" is far more often about offense - attacking those countries and people who displease or are inconvenient to you, making sure the world is structure to suit your* interests, usually at the expense of the interests, and often the lives of people elsewhere in the world. * - In reality, the interests of the elite of your country.
- vasili111 9y ago
  What about protecting yourself and allies?
  - imtringued 9y ago
    By actively seeking conflict you are increasing the risk of retaliation. That's the opposite of protecting yourself.
    - jononor 9y ago
      But good for business!
pierre 9y ago
As a defense contractor, you build stuff that end up killing people. Especially if your country is aggressive toward others / have imperialist view.
- vasili111 9y ago
  What about if that country especially helps other countries to fight for there freedom and protects them from imperialist view countries and with that saves lives in that countries?
  - lallysingh 9y ago
    Who's that?
    - vasili111 9y ago
      My country Georgia received a help from the USA and EU countries when Russia invaded us. Their help saved lots of Georgian people lives. Another example Ukraine, USA and EU countries are helping Ukraine to defend themselves against Russia. Only people that never saw real war think that improving the defense of their country is "killing people" when in reality it is opposite.
      - whiskers08xmt 9y ago
        Realities get murky when you talk geo-politics. Some times it's in the interest of the US, to protect the self-determination of a nation, especially when it goes against the interests of a geo-political adversary. We see this with your country, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, etc. At other times, it means selling F-16s, Apaches and munitions to Saudi Arabia, so they can carry out a brutal bombing campaign in Yemen. There are no good or evil regional powers, only national interests and the smaller nations which either get in the way of those, or help you achieve them.
        moccachino 9y ago
        >There are no good or evil regional powers, only national interests and the smaller nations which either get in the way of those, or help you achieve them. Be that as it may, it still matters how the people in power think and behave. Some systems of government are better suited to reduce violence than others. For example, a dictator is probably more likely to order military intervention than a person who has to justify their actions to advisors, a congress and eventually a whole nation. Obviously as you say things get murky when there are large interests at stake and no side is wholly good or wholly evil, but still some can be more wrong than others.
rorykoehler 9y ago
I don't have a country. That's a manmade concept that is forced upon me against my will.
- adwn 9y ago
  > I don't have a country. Is there a country in which spend the majority of your time? If yes, then that's your country. Don't like it? Move to another one or get politically active. > That's a manmade concept that is forced upon me against my will. Nearly everything in our day-to-day lives is a manmade concept – that doesn't make it any less real.
  - rorykoehler 9y ago
    >Is there a country in which spend the majority of your time? That changes regularly enough. Just because i like a place doesn't mean it's my country. I think you're conflating geography with political structures. I feel at home everywhere I've been and i don't quite understand the insatiable jingoism because all places and people are great and not so great in equal measure for various reasons. That said I'm not naive enough to expect it to change and if it were to change i can't really even see a pathway for that to happen. It only takes one person to spit in the punch to ruin it for everyone.
- vasili111 9y ago
  So no one is protecting your rights and property? There are no emergency service, firefighters and other public services that you directly benefit from?
  - nickik 9y ago
    So if somebody breaks into yoir house takes your money you cant complain because that guy sometimes cleans the house or buys cable? Accusing people who are not pro-government of hypocracy because the use public services is absurd. You cant not pay my taxes and opt out of government services.
  - rorykoehler 9y ago

A purely "defense" contractor, protecting the country itself? No, nothing wrong with that. But what is euphemistically called "defense" is far more often about offense - attacking those countries and people who displease or are inconvenient to you, making sure the world is structure to suit your* interests, usually at the expense of the interests, and often the lives of people elsewhere in the world. * - In reality, the interests of the elite of your country.

vasili111 9y ago
What about protecting yourself and allies?
- imtringued 9y ago
  By actively seeking conflict you are increasing the risk of retaliation. That's the opposite of protecting yourself.
  - jononor 9y ago
    But good for business!

pierre 9y ago

As a defense contractor, you build stuff that end up killing people. Especially if your country is aggressive toward others / have imperialist view.

vasili111 9y ago
What about if that country especially helps other countries to fight for there freedom and protects them from imperialist view countries and with that saves lives in that countries?
- lallysingh 9y ago
  Who's that?
  - vasili111 9y ago
    My country Georgia received a help from the USA and EU countries when Russia invaded us. Their help saved lots of Georgian people lives. Another example Ukraine, USA and EU countries are helping Ukraine to defend themselves against Russia. Only people that never saw real war think that improving the defense of their country is "killing people" when in reality it is opposite.
    - whiskers08xmt 9y ago
      Realities get murky when you talk geo-politics. Some times it's in the interest of the US, to protect the self-determination of a nation, especially when it goes against the interests of a geo-political adversary. We see this with your country, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, etc. At other times, it means selling F-16s, Apaches and munitions to Saudi Arabia, so they can carry out a brutal bombing campaign in Yemen. There are no good or evil regional powers, only national interests and the smaller nations which either get in the way of those, or help you achieve them.
      - moccachino 9y ago
        >There are no good or evil regional powers, only national interests and the smaller nations which either get in the way of those, or help you achieve them. Be that as it may, it still matters how the people in power think and behave. Some systems of government are better suited to reduce violence than others. For example, a dictator is probably more likely to order military intervention than a person who has to justify their actions to advisors, a congress and eventually a whole nation. Obviously as you say things get murky when there are large interests at stake and no side is wholly good or wholly evil, but still some can be more wrong than others.

rorykoehler 9y ago

I don't have a country. That's a manmade concept that is forced upon me against my will.

adwn 9y ago
> I don't have a country. Is there a country in which spend the majority of your time? If yes, then that's your country. Don't like it? Move to another one or get politically active. > That's a manmade concept that is forced upon me against my will. Nearly everything in our day-to-day lives is a manmade concept – that doesn't make it any less real.
- rorykoehler 9y ago
  >Is there a country in which spend the majority of your time? That changes regularly enough. Just because i like a place doesn't mean it's my country. I think you're conflating geography with political structures. I feel at home everywhere I've been and i don't quite understand the insatiable jingoism because all places and people are great and not so great in equal measure for various reasons. That said I'm not naive enough to expect it to change and if it were to change i can't really even see a pathway for that to happen. It only takes one person to spit in the punch to ruin it for everyone.
vasili111 9y ago
So no one is protecting your rights and property? There are no emergency service, firefighters and other public services that you directly benefit from?
- nickik 9y ago
  So if somebody breaks into yoir house takes your money you cant complain because that guy sometimes cleans the house or buys cable? Accusing people who are not pro-government of hypocracy because the use public services is absurd. You cant not pay my taxes and opt out of government services.
- rorykoehler 9y ago