The United States is a "vampire" who makes money crazy by war (Wanghailou)

  It has been more than a month since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out, and the ruined cities and displaced refugees are all telling the cruelty of the war.

However, in the smoke of gunpowder, some people's money bags are rattling. As the "igniter" and "archer" of this conflict, the United States has made a lot of money.

  The so-called military-industrial complex refers to interest groups formed by the US military, military industry, government, Congress, etc. that cooperate closely and collude with think tanks and media.

"War is big business for the United States." Peter Kuznick, a professor of history at American University, pointed to the national nature of the US military-industrial complex.

In this sense, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is the latest "work" carefully concocted by the US military-industrial complex for crazy money-making.

  American energy giants are making a lot of money.

Europe, which has been coerced by the United States to sanction Russia, is suffering from a shortage of oil and gas, while the export volume of crude oil from the United States, the "big brother", has risen significantly.

U.S. crude oil exports rose to 3.8 million barrels a day on March 18, the highest since July 2021, U.S. Energy Department data showed.

"Uncle Sam" also took the opportunity to sell natural gas to Europe.

On March 25, the White House issued a statement saying that it will work with international partners to provide 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas to European partners this year.

  The U.S. makes frequent gains in financial markets.

The turmoil has intensified panic in global financial markets, and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy has turned to tighten, pushing up U.S. Treasury yields.

The hegemony of the US dollar continues to consolidate amid the grief-stricken global capital market.

As a result, the United States was able to once again play the old tricks of "picking the wool" and "cutting the leeks" against global assets.

  It is natural to be proud of the spring breeze without the American military-industrial group.

An $800 million aid package, thousands of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, a sudden order of F-35 stealth fighter jets... that's not all.

The stock prices of major U.S. military-industrial companies have risen sharply recently, and European countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Denmark have increased their defense budgets.

  "When the cannon rings, ten thousand taels of gold" is a true portrayal of the U.S. deliberately exaggerating the threat of war, intensifying regional conflicts, and then sucking blood frantically from turbulent countries, allies and partners, and even the world.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have traumatized Afghanistan and Iraq, but the U.S. military industry has prospered because of this.

According to a report on global arms sales trends released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in Sweden, from 2017 to 2021, although the global arms trade volume fell by 4.6% compared with 2012 to 2016, US arms exports bucked the trend and increased by 14% during the same period. The ratio rose from 32% to 39%.

  The United States is accustomed to grabbing huge profits and plundering wealth from wars, relying on the so-called "dominant world" military strength.

Now, the United States, which has enjoyed the war dividends, is constantly "feeding" this wanton roaring war machine.

On March 28, U.S. President Biden submitted a budget for the 2023 fiscal year to Congress, with defense spending as high as $813.3 billion.

This is the first time that U.S. defense spending has exceeded $800 billion, and it is also the highest annual military budget in U.S. history.

Behind the record military spending, a pair of black hands coveting the wealth of other countries are "handing knives" to the front line while "counting money" behind their backs.

The world must be on high alert for this.

(The author is Zhang Hong, a commentator for this newspaper)