True to their philosophy, capitalist governments perceived Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February (2022) as an opportunity to ramp up contributions to the welfare state for the arms industry.
They handed weaponry to Ukrainian government that will need to be replaced at the public’s expense in the supplying countries and they turned the knob up to eleven on amplification for greater spending on “defence.”
In addition to channelling public money to the never-satiated hunger of the arms industry capitalist governments and their cheerleaders said their economic sanctions against Russia will lead to financial consequences in the countries applying the sanctions, and the same governments said they will not purchase Russian gas with the caveat that fuel costs would then rise.
Fuel prices rise because made-up businesses in supply chains are enabled by governments to raise prices to whatever level they want. Other price rises (as an alleged consequence of sanctions against Russia) are similarly due to greed of vendors and associated businesses. War in Ukraine is not the cause of price rises.
As soon as the war in Ukraine began politicians and servant journalists [1] in capitalist countries predicted price rises for daily necessities and they made sure to exclaim that the conflict was to blame. Their assertions were a nod of the head to price gougers to proceed as they wished, and a dismissive single finger to the public to not complain.
Tactics used to promote price rises include photographs of Ukrainian victims of Russia’s assault. This tactic was exemplified by former President of the European Council Donald Tusk who released a short statement – “just don’t tell her please that tougher sanctions would be too expensive for Europe!” – alongside a photograph of a young Ukrainian holding a gun while sitting in a bombed building, and by Daniel Korski, former adviser to David Cameron when the latter was prime minister, who said “I will gladly pay more for my energy bills for the sake of this baby” accompanied by a photograph of a baby being carried by a soldier near a destroyed bridge.
For the people of Ukraine war is death, destruction and flight from their homes.
For the capitalist class in other countries it is another opportunity to make money.
In Russia, NATO countries and elsewhere war remains, as it has done for centuries, the preferred and most lucrative means of fleecing the public for the benefit of the few.
Note: [1] servant journalist n. Journalist whose job is to assist politicians (or alleged VIPs or large corporations) in propagating propaganda
Recommended reading
Professor of accounting practice Richard Murphy explains how current huge rises in fuel costs to customers in UK have no justification and exist to increase profits of shareholders and speculators: Richard Murphy
Luke Savage on fuel rises in USA: Luke Savage
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