Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources: Ethiopia retracted from previously reached agreements within the framework of the negotiating process on the Renaissance Dam.
Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation: The tripartite ministerial meeting regarding the Renaissance Dam did not achieve progress.
Gaza Ministry of Health: 6 Palestinians wounded by IOF fire east of Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: A batch of incendiary balloons were launched towards settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
Turkey's Defense Ministry: 5 Kurdistan Workers Party members killed in an airstrike in northern Iraq.
The Iranian Intelligence Ministry says its forces raided several terrorist hideouts in Tehran and Western Azerbaijan and arrested 28 elements.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry says the terror attacks were aimed at undermining Iran's state security and showing Iran as a destabilized nation.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry says it foiled a terrorist plot being planned for Tehran, with all the culprits getting arrested.
Iranian Defense Ministry says has missiles designed with the intention of striking the Israeli occupation, namely the Hajj Qassem Soleimani missile.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The Israeli occupation forces raided Birzeit University and arrested three young men in its vicinity.

How weapon firms, think tanks profit from Ukraine war: Report

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Responsible Statecraft
  • 2 Jun 2023 22:38
  • 2 Shares

Ben Freeman writes about how most of those advocating for increased weapons to Ukraine are directly employed by those benefiting. 

  • How weapon firms profit from Ukraine war
     In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, pallets of ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine are loaded on a plane by members from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron during a foreign military sales mission at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Jan. 30, 2022 (Senior Airman Stephani Barge/U.S. Air Force via AP)

According to Ben Freeman in an article on Responsible Statecraft, when Eliot Cohen writes a piece in The Atlantic calling for a massive Russian defeat provided with Western weapons, neither he nor The Atlantic mentions that most weapons he mentions in his Op-ed, including F-16s, and even F-35s are produced by the funders of Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Cohen's employer.

Read more: Ukraine arms supplies not as fast as promises of abundance: WaPo

Freeman notes that while this may appear to be a clear conflict of interest that should be stated in the article, a recent Quincy Institute brief he authored “Defense Contractor Funded Think Tanks Dominate Ukraine Debate,”  demonstrates that this is not an exception; it is the standard.

The defense industry generously funds America's leading foreign policy research institutes. They've dominated the Ukraine war media market, and they seldom, if ever, mention that many of the weapons they're suggesting the US deliver to Ukraine are manufactured by their backers.

Freeman mentions that 78% of high-ranking foreign policy think tanks in the US are being funded by the Pentagon or its contractors, making any comments they have about the war a conflict of interest. 

According to Freeman, the defense industry distributes even more money. He details that every single one of the top ten foreign policy think tanks is funded by the defense industry.  CSIS, the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS), and The Atlantic Council, for example, all reported receiving more than a million dollars each year from the defense industry.

Related News

Space capsule with Bennu Asteroid sample lands in Utah

N.America box office hits new low

Read more: US weapon manufacturers profits surged in 2022

These think tanks have advocated for increased militarized US responses to the war in Ukraine when compared to those who receive little to no funding from the Defense Ministry.

According to Freeman's analysis, media outlets were more than seven times more likely to quote a think-tank with defense sector sponsorship than a think tank without it. Furthermore, he highlights that the two most quoted think tanks in Ukraine war-related stories were think tanks drowning in defense-industry cash: CSIS and The Atlantic Council.

CSIS and the Atlantic Council's funding from the defense ministry is reported on their websites whereas many other think tanks do not reveal their contributors as openly.  This includes the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), which was frequently referenced in media publications concerning the Ukraine war. Though AEI professors have said publicly that the organization gets financing from defense companies, the organization's sources are not listed on its website. 

Similarly, media outlets were not forthcoming about the conflicts of interest of the experts they cited. In reality, none of the media mentions examined in the brief were accompanied by disclosures of defense industry sponsorship of think tanks that, at times, recommended policies that benefited their donors financially.

Freeman believes that these facts call for a time of reform. He believes that Congress should require think tanks to reveal their donors, especially due to their influence and special interests. 

He also believes media outlets should be truthful regarding any conflicts of interest with sources regarding US foreign policy. According to the brief, “By not providing this information media outlets are deceiving their readers, listeners, or viewers.” 

He concludes by pointing to the expanding body of data demonstrating how think-tank financing affects think-tank work, expressing that the absolute least media outlets should do is warn their readers when a source may be biased, especially when commenting on war and peace issues.

  • United States
  • Weapons
  • Ukraine
  • Ukraine weapons

Most Read

Russia destroyed leopard tank in Ukraine with fully-German crew

Russia destroyed leopard tank in Ukraine with fully-German crew

  • Europe
  • 23 Sep 2023
Ukrainian soldiers ride an APC on the front line near Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region, on June 5, 2023 (AP)

US sees Ukrainian army demoralized, no chance to win: Seymour Hersh

  • Europe
  • 21 Sep 2023
Blinken’s ‘Variable Geometry’ for a New Cold War

Blinken’s ‘Variable Geometry’ for a New Cold War

  • Analysis
  • 24 Sep 2023
British mercenary in Ukraine killed by another Brit

British mercenary in Ukraine killed by another Brit

  • Europe
  • 18 Sep 2023

Coverage

All
Morocco & Libya Disasters

Read Next

All
1982 Beirut welcomes invaders with 3 bullets and a cup of coffee
MENA

1982 Beirut welcomes invaders with 3 bullets and a cup of coffee

The effects of the Israeli occupation forces' raid on an office affiliated with the Student Council of Birzeit University were reported on September 24, 2023. by Palestinian media.
Palestine

IOF start arrest campaign targeting Birzeit University Student Council

French Barkhane Air Force mechanics maintain a Mirage 2000 on the Niamey, Niger base on June 5, 2021 (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
Africa

France to withdraw ambassador and troops from Niger: Macron

This picture released by the official website of the Iranian Defense Ministry on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, shows the "Martyr Hajj Qassem" missile in an undisclosed location in Iran (Iranian Defense Ministry via AP)
Politics

Iran possesses missiles designed to target 'Israel'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS