Source: TheTelegraph
The expression "merchant of death" isn’t just sensational; it’s terrifying. We think of someone that profits from war, from chaos, maybe a weapons dealer or a warlord pulling the strings behind the scenes. But what if it's more complicated? What if the merchant isn't the one pulling the trigger, but the one that is making it possible? The one selling the tools, enabling the chaos, all without dirtying their hands. They never see the victims. Only the numbers. Only the contracts. Only the deals.
In some sense, being a merchant of death is not even about being bad. Maybe it is just a cold hard business transaction. They don't make the war, they just make a living profiting off of it. And maybe that is the scariest thing, that it isn't even personal in the end. Just business. Just another day in the office.
But who's to determine where this designation ends? A weapons dealer, certainly. What about the politicians whose very speech provokes conflict? The social media influencers who create hate, division, or promote some new conspiracy? The news media who twist stories and headlines for clicks? Maybe the real merchant of death is the person who can weaponize the world with fear, or influence. The individual who sets the stage for violence, but never even has to fire a gun.