After the horrors of WW1 many countries tried to come together to forge peace. But, somehow, along the way, those who saw the possibility of weapons manufacturing as a means to create jobs and bring wealth, won the arguments.

The League of Nations was an international diplomatic group developed after World War I as a way to solve disputes between countries before they erupted into open warfare. A precursor to the United Nations, the League achieved some victories but had a mixed record of success, sometimes putting self-interest before becoming involved with conflict resolution, while also contending with governments that did not recognize its authority. The League effectively ceased operations during World War II.

What Was the League of Nations?

The League of Nations has its origins in the Fourteen Points speech of President Woodrow Wilson, part of a presentation given in 1918 outlining of his ideas for peace after the carnage of World War I. Wilson envisioned an organization that was charged with resolving conflicts before they exploded into bloodshed and warfare.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/league-of-nations

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Now, campaigns are run to try and stop investing in weapons which are evolving to perpetuate, even incite, wars around the world. For returns to investors are obvious. Here is an extract from a campaign:

It’s all illegal. The International Court of Justice in The Hague just confirmed that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory — including Gaza — breaks the law. Netanyahu says he’d “fight with fingernails” — but the truth is that he depends on arms pouring in from weapons manufacturers, which depend on financing from our banks.

Tell the banks to stop.

 Sign the petition 

Lynn,

Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land is illegal, the International Court of Justice has confirmed.

The Advisory Opinion of the UN’s highest court makes clear that helping to maintain the occupation now would be illegal too. But that’s exactly what our banks and pension funds are doing when they help finance Israel’s arms supplies.

Even with lavish government support, Western arms manufacturers couldn’t last a day without help from financial institutions.

We know that some financiers are seriously considering their options. Norway’s biggest private pension fund cut ties to Caterpillar for its role with Israel’s army, even before the court’s opinion was announced. It’s time that they all took action to cut Netanyahu’s weapons supply and stop aiding and abetting Israel’s illegal occupation:

Banks, insurers and pension funds: stop doing business with companies supplying arms to Israel

In Europe alone, 20 banks have provided 36.1 billion EUR in loans and underwritings to Israel’s biggest international arms suppliers in 2019-2023. A study published in June identified France’s BNP Paribas as the biggest lender to Israel’s top arms suppliers (4.7 billion EUR), followed by Crédit Agricole, Deutsche Bank, and Barclays.

Pension funds and insurers are also named in the NGO report and by UN experts who warned that if they fail to respond now, financial institutions linked to Israel’s arms suppliers risk becoming complicit in war crimes.

Big US and Canadian banks are just as bad. New York’s Citigroup, for example, led a consortium of banks that helped the Israeli government buy its F35 jets. The bank has also invested billions more in Israel’s arms suppliers since October 2023. But they can also divest, and help end this horror.

Some may say that governments should decide this sort of thing, and bankers should just stick to their jobs and make money. Indeed, our politicians have a lot to answer for, and some of them may end up behind bars some day for their part. But bankers are people too, and with enough public pressure, they can be moved to use their power for good.

Experience shows that International law takes years to grind on, and rarely punishes those whose greed has driven the wars, such as those whose finances flourished as a result.

To be pacifist can result in death through a thousand cuts. For example, the white feather handed to those who wouldn’t fight in the World Wars.

1. white feathernoun
   1. A sign of cowardice.
   2. A symbol of cowardice.
   idiom
   1. (show the white feather) To act like a coward.
   The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition • More at Wordnik

It is always a minority who incite wars, but the majority die as fodder whilst new, immensely cruel, weapon designers evolve their lucrative trade.

War builds nothing. War destroys everything we love.