Is Humanity Lost in the Equation of Growth and Militarization?

The relentless global drive for GDP growth and hyper-production is leading society toward its own destruction, rather than prosperity, the author argues. This is illustrated by three seemingly disparate news items: the 35th anniversary of Slovenia's Brioni Declaration that halted hostilities, Volkswagen's announcement of 100,000 job cuts, and NATO's push for increased defense spending among member states.

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Where is the human being in all of this? Where are we people, our existence, our safety, and our dignity?

NATO's demand for member states to allocate five percent of their GDP to defense by 2035 is met with skepticism, with some allies reportedly waiting out Donald Trump's potential return to the U.S. presidency. Slovenia itself only recently met the previous two percent target, achieved last year through manipulated figures.

The author fears that excess global production capacity will be terrifyingly redirected to the military industry, the "industry of death." This is underscored by reports of Volkswagen discussing with Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems the possibility of retooling its Osnabrück factory to produce components for the Iron Dome missile defense system.

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It seems that the world's surplus production capacities will be terrifyingly redirected to the military industry – to the industry of death, which destroys humanity and planet Earth itself.

Reflecting on Slovenian "defense strategists" who praise Israeli weapon systems as "battle-tested" and advocate for deepening state-business ties, the author expresses disgust. The ongoing war in Gaza has resulted in over 38,000 Palestinian deaths and 86,000 injuries, with nearly the entire population displaced. European leaders, the author notes, have done little to stop the bloodshed.

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When we listen to the pronouncements of our 'defense strategists' that Israeli armament systems are technologically among the best in the world because they are 'tested in real combat conditions,' and that for our own security we must intensively deepen state-business relations with them, one's stomach turns.