This article examines the political economy of modern armed conflict through an analysis of two concurrent wars: Russia's war in Ukraine (February 2022 to present) and the US-Israel military operations against Iran (February–April 2026, ceasefire April 7-8, 2026). The analysis proceeds across four dimensions: (1) the economics of war — who benefits financially, including the global weapons industry (SIPRI Top 100 revenues record 679 billion in 2024), major defence contractors (Lockheed +3. 4%, RTX +4. 7%, Northrop +6% on single day of Iran strike news), and Russia's paradoxical GDP growth (4. 3% in 2024 despite sanctions) ; (2) strategic chokepoints, including the Strait of Hormuz (20% of global oil and LNG) and the Red Sea-Suez Canal (12% of global trade), whose simultaneous disruption drove oil above 103/barrel and collapsed tanker traffic to 5% of pre-conflict levels; (3) geopolitical repositioning — Russia's negotiating leverage, India's calculated neutrality, China's strategic opportunism, and fracturing Western alliance cohesion; (4) the human psychology of war — examined through Chanakya's Arthashastra (rational statecraft and the Shadguna framework), Osho's discourse on the human psychological need for war, and Tolstoy's War and Peace as the definitive counter-narrative. The article concludes with the Vedic distinction between Dharmayuddha (just war) and Adharmic war (war as instrument of profit and power) and India's civilisational call for dialogue as the expression of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam rather than merely tactical neutrality.
Narayan Rout (Sun,) studied this question.