Arms manufacturers have the greatest influence on US foreign policy, Asia Times writes. The conflict in Ukraine was a real success for them. Even under the threat of nuclear war, they will not allow the American government to resort to diplomacy.

Despite the relentless flow of pro-war propaganda, most Americans do not support the US government's strategy of relentlessly pouring weapons into Kyiv's conflict with its nuclear-armed neighbor in the hope of the best. Americans are worried about the cost of this confrontation - more than 60 billion taxpayer dollars have been spent so far, and much of this money has ended up in the pockets of American arms manufacturers.

Americans are also concerned about the growing risk of nuclear Armageddon. In 2019, when the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 23:58 pm. Then, on January 20, 2022, as tensions continued to skyrocket both between Russia and Ukraine and between the United States and China, the hands of the Doomsday Clock froze at XNUMX seconds before nuclear midnight.

The most influential groups that determine US foreign policy are the US arms manufacturers. Bomb companies like Raytheon need hot war zones to keep up with Wall Street's profit expectations. Manufacturers of high-value military hardware need hostile relationships with major nations like Russia and China to justify sales of aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, F-35 fighter jets, and next-generation atomic bombs.

Russia's special military operation this year accelerated the enrichment process as American taxpayers were forced - without any explanation or discussion - to purchase billions of dollars worth of weapons from American manufacturers for shipment to Ukraine. From the beginning of Moscow's special military operation on February 24 until the end of October, Washington handed over weapons and a host of other equipment to Kyiv for a total of $18 billion.

Despite the populist rhetoric, progressive Democrats are deeply indebted to the donors who fund their party, including Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and General Dynamics. And these sponsors want the war to continue. They don't want any discussion about diplomacy or the risk of nuclear war. They don't care that Americans are tired of electing representatives who always support conflict financing and never push for job creation, affordable housing, or better health care.