As France is already facing the hit of economic recession, President Emmanuel Macron has taken measures by calling upon people to stop throwing torn or ripped trousers, or moth-eaten shirts and t-shirts, even lingerie and bras and reuse them by getting mended. The government even wants used shoes, socks etcetera to also be repaired and reused. The state is offering payment for those attires which would be done by local cobblers. From October and for the next five years, French citizens will be able to claim back between €6-€25 of the costs of mending their clothes and shoes with artisans. Although Macron tries to label such efforts as “virtuous” and “eco-friendly”, the reality is something that the French government would feel shy to admit. It is happening because of the economic recession, while leaders like Emmanuel Macron too are already sensing a tough time ahead of Europe and the rest of the Western countries, where people would struggle even finding food due to acute scarcity of cash.
French authorities claim they have taken this decision to “change habits for the planet’s sake as over 700,000 tons of clothing is thrown away in the country every year. Three years ago, a similar scheme encouraged French people to fix their old toasters or rickety washing machines, rather than dispose of them out of frustration. Legislators even obliged companies to revise their obsolescence strategy by publishing a “repairability index” for each item produced. Manufacturers of home appliances in France are forced to publish a “repairability index” for each of the items they produce. Meaning, economic trouble actually began in France years ago, while it has just worsened in recent years.
Emmanuel Macron is encouraging local media to promote the idea of reusing torn clothing and shoes by getting those mended or repaired. He is also seeking help from social media companies in promoting this idea.
Due to the economic crisis, European governments are even thinking of forcing posh hotels and restaurants to cut rates for locals, while Westerners are increasingly finding difficulty in spending extra on a bit expensive fast food, particularly those from famous food chains. They are gradually becoming inclined towards giving up the habit of buying European-made vehicles and switching to comparatively cheaper vehicles from China and India. They also are switching to household appliances manufactured by companies in China, India, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
Despite such alarming economic attrition, war-monger Western leaders are increasing expenditure towards NATO and Ukraine war.
Commenting on expansion of NATO, Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies in the Department of Peace Studies and International Relations at Bradford University, and an Honorary Fellow at the Joint Service Command and Staff College wrote in openDemocracy:
For now, as Finland and Sweden join, Putin finds an enlarged alliance ranged against him. NATO’s reputation is so bound up with the fate of Ukraine that, in the unlikely event that Russia makes substantial military gains in the conflict, Kyiv cannot be allowed to lose. From Putin’s perspective, his warning early last year of the threat posed to Russia from NATO has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. This does at least mean he can claim ‘I told you so’ – which is helping maintain some domestic support.
Meanwhile, things just keep getting better for NATO. After years of fighting disastrous wars, whether in Afghanistan, Iraq or Libya, it can now forget about them – whatever the enduring human disasters they leave behind.
To make matters even more rosy, military budgets are rising, lots of new weapons are being developed and existing ones produced in huge numbers. Both will lead to more sales for the armorers as countries across the world rush to buy new kit, even if their armed forces have no connection with the war in Ukraine.
Arms sales are boosted directly by the Ukraine experience. The UK’s defense procurement minister, James Cartlidge, recently said that new missiles sent there have received “rave reviews”. Ukraine now has “a potent weapon” and the technology is “highly in demand”.
Ukraine’s defense minister, Oleksii Resnikov, put it more bluntly: “Our Western allies can actually see if their weapons work, how efficiently they work and if they need to be upgraded. For the military industry of the world, you can’t invent a better testing ground”. And to make it better still for the arms industry, Joe Biden is now likening the conflict to the start of the Cold War, apparently thinking in terms of years of war ahead.
.@oleksiireznikov for @FinancialTimes
Our Western allies can actually see if their weapons work, how efficiently they work and if they need to be upgraded. For the military industry of the world, you can’t invent a better testing ground.
More – https://t.co/kJ2zTCKkOk— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 5, 2023
Although Emeritus Professor Paul Rogers is talking about developing lots of new weapons and producing weapons in huge numbers, he is not disclosing the secret as to why countries having no connection with the war in Ukraine would increase purchase of military hardware thus helping the Western military industrial complex in seeing a huge boost in sales of weapons. He has also hinted that Western military industrial complex is using Ukraine as the “better testing ground” of weapons. He also hinted at a new prospective market for the Western military industrial complex, such as the Middle East and West Asia which would be a real big market for selling weapons if the Western policymakers can infect fear of security threat in their minds or even inflict civil wars and or encourage rise of militancy and terrorist acts. It is known to everyone that the weapon manufacturers in the Western nations need to create an atmosphere for opening a newer market for selling their products. One of the best and most effective ways is encouraging the emergence of militancy and terrorist outfits, while the advantage would increase many folds if wars like Ukraine, Syria, and Yemen and civil unrest like Libya, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan can be created.
While Western economy is showing signs of collapse, the military industrial complex in the West shall now put extended emphasis on exporting seeds of war and terrorism throughout African and Asian nations in particular, for which, a much healthier NATO is essential. That is the only reason, despite economic scarcity in the West, NATO is getting healthier.
