Is War a Profitable Instrument in Contemporary International Relations?

Abstract

The question of whether war is profitable is not only an economic one, but also one that calls into question the way we understand the world we live in. At first glance, war seems to be the pure expression of loss: lives destroyed, cities ruined, societies destabilized. And yet, over time, there have been moments when, in the shadow of these losses, forms of gain have also emerged. However, this perspective becomes fragile when viewed as a whole. Because, beyond numbers and interests, war means loss on a large scale. What for some may be gain, for others is disintegration: families separated, economies affected, generations marked by instability. In this context, the notion of profit begins to lose its classical meaning and becomes a form of imbalance. Moreover, the apparent gains of war are often temporary.