Eurofighter, by Elsie esq, CC BY 2.0
In the title of his book “Perpetual war for perpetual peace”, the great novelist Gore Vidal took five words to describe the bizarre foreign policy mantra of modern Western elites.
There was more than a hint of this dark, harsh and dystopian logic in the air earlier this month as Roger Carr, Chair of BAE Systems, proudly told shareholders that the sale of arms is an important step in promoting and securing lasting peace. “We try and provide our people, our government, our allies with the very best weapons,” he boasted at his company’s AGM last week, “the very best sticks they can have, to encourage peace.”
