HN Reader

Once institutions, especially powerful ones like NATO, urge businesses and economic agents to prepare for war, they are signaling a shift in the geopolitical and economic landscape that increases the likelihood of conflict. The mobilization of economic forces is a double-edged sword: while it may be intended to bolster resilience and deter aggression, it also makes war increasingly difficult to avoid. As economic forces and preparations for conflict are set in motion, they create a momentum that increases the costs of demobilization and makes peace harder to maintain, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy of war.