Beyond the Battlefield: War’s Far-Reaching Effects
From Global Trade to Technological Innovation, Why War Touches Us All
Good morning!
Lev Davidovich Trotsky—better known as Leon Trotsky—was Vladimir Lenin’s right-hand man and heir-apparent during the Russian revolution (until Stalin succeeded in marginalizing Trotsky, but that’s a story for another day).
While serving as the People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs of the Soviet Union (a position roughly comparable to Minister of Defense), Trotsky is often quoted as observing that 'you may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.'1
You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.
This observation is just as prescient today as it was during the first half of the 20th century.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a soldier, a human rights advocate, an economist, a financier, a manufacturer, or a farmer. War affects us all. This is certainly the case in wars close to our homes or in which we’re active participants. But it remains true even when a war is seemingly removed by geography or participation.
