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As the world looks on in horror at the war in Ukraine, one group in less of a hurry to bring the violence to an end is the defence industry. Long before the Russians invaded, mega-contractors like Raytheon had been tipping investors that 2022 could be a bumper year – and they were not wrong.
With many western countries pledging military hardware to Ukraine or making step changes in defence spending, weapons suppliers stand to make billions. Look no further than their rising share prices at a time when the rest of the market is sinking.
Defence specialist Peter Bloom argues that having a commercial stake in war is a fundamental conflict of interest both for the west and also the Russians, who are the second biggest arms exporters after America. He offers some ideas on how to eventually change this situation.
Elsewhere, two political scientists outline the research literature on why wars end – and how it means the Russia-Ukraine conflict will likely continue for some time yet. Staying with endings, new research indicates that the English public are far less convinced that the COVID pandemic is over than Boris Johnson’s government.
Plus, the author of our latest Insights long read spent time living with pastoralist herders in Kenya – and learned some valuable lessons about how we can better live with uncertainty.
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Steven Vass
Business + Economy Editor
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Brought to you by lots of very big companies.
EPA
Peter Bloom, University of Essex
Many defence contractors have seen their share prices soar since the war began.
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Russian Defence Ministry Press / EPA-EFE
Douglas B. Atkinson, University of Salzburg; Kevin Fahey, University of Nottingham
Academic research about the process of war can shed light on the current situation.
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Cavan-Images/Shutterstock
Ruth Ogden, Liverpool John Moores University; Patricia Kingori, University of Oxford
We asked over 1,000 people whether the lifting of restrictions in England signals the end of the pandemic – the majority thought it didn’t.
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Lolampa, a Turkana herder, with his goats and sheep.
Samuel Derbyshire
Samuel Derbyshire, University of Oxford
Uncertainty must be embraced and harnessed for the better because stability never lasts long.
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Ukraine invasion
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Catherine Briddick, University of Oxford
Instead of providing safe and legal routes to protection to people in grave danger, Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced a minor loosening of visa rules.
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Maria Varaki, King's College London
International law says that the Russian invasion is illegal in itself. The Russian military’s alleged conduct also breach various international legal treaties.
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Olenka Z Pevny, University of Cambridge
What the world stands to lose due to Putin’s unprovoked war.
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Daniel Adamson, Durham University
The history of a humble chapel created by Ukrainian prisoners reminds us of our duty to those refugees now fleeing Putin’s war.
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Ian Hamilton, University of York; Julia Buxton, University of Manchester
Ukraine’s 317,000 injecting drug users face a difficult future.
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Science + Technology
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Peter Falkingham, Liverpool John Moores University; Jens N. Lallensack, Liverpool John Moores University
Thanks to our new technique using fossilised tracks, we have been able to learn more about the locomotion of the largest creatures ever to have roamed this planet.
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Greig Paul, University of Strathclyde
The BBC has resumed broadcasting via shortwave radio to ensure civilians can access the news.
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Environment
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Graeme Hayes, Aston University; Oscar Berglund, University of Bristol
Resurgence of SUV sabotage highlights the failure of climate policy and an evolving protest strategy.
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Politics + Society
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Richard Sambrook, Cardiff University
A cold war - and the importance of trusted information - is pushing the UK government to revise its attitude to the BBC.
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