A-Infos (en) France, OCL - Lamouette Enragee: The war economy according to Macron, or producing to the sound of cannons... (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The May issue of Courant Alternatif magazine was produced during the 
previous weeks in Boulogne-sur-mer and Lille. It was modeled in Moulins. 
To find the summary, discover the magazine, read the first articles 
online or, better yet, to subscribe, go to the site: 
https://oclibertaire.lautre.net ---- We offer reading this text taken 
from the issue in question.
The war economy according to Macron,
or produce to the sound of cannons...
War was an indispensable auxiliary of capitalist development, before 
becoming one of its diseases (1). In the prime of life, it was still a 
question of exporting European antagonisms to other continents. In quick 
succession, two world wars made it reappear in the heart of the old 
historic center and complete the cycle. Are we on the verge of closing a 
new one?

Several recent events demonstrate strong tensions between imperialist 
powers. However, the Cold War is definitely behind us and it would be 
risky to construct a scenario for the present time as alliances are 
formed and unraveled to the rhythm of a crisis punctuated by twists and 
turns as it worsens. One thing is certain, the holy alliance of 
industrialists, politicians and the military remains more relevant than 
ever. A fortiori when simultaneously or in turn they sense an 
opportunity to seize. And for now, that's what it seems to be about.

The war economy according to Macron

Who still remembers Montebourg and its "Productive Recovery"? The 
"Start-up Nation" also seems to have fallen into oblivion. Nothing 
surprising in this since Macron's performative speech at Eurosatory 
which, de facto, would have brought France into a "war economy" (2). 
Martial, if ever there was one, the formula calls out. However, what 
reality and what issues does it really cover?

The commonly accepted definition of "war economy" is that of a state 
which reorients the production of its industries through planning with 
the aim of achieving a military victory. The corollary is the increase 
in fiscal pressure and monetary creation, inflation and public debt. In 
other words, the perfect combination of everything that the government 
team in place claims to want to fight step by step.

In truth, the challenge facing all political majorities remains the 
crisis of expanded reproduction that has undermined the globalized 
capitalist economy for several decades. This is characterized by excess 
manufacturing production capacity, the fall in industrial employment, 
the saturation of markets and the decline in investment rates in fixed 
capital (3).

Chained to the logic of profit, politicians and magnates have until now 
undertaken nothing that has not further exacerbated the antagonisms 
between rival zones of influence: development of finance and repeated 
explosion of bubbles; massive transfer of labor to the tertiary sector, 
a weak engine of growth and generator of low-skilled and poorly paid 
jobs; rising international tensions and protectionist renewal...

The quest for the industrial Grail

In view of the situation, reindustrialization has become the mantra of 
certain decision-makers, particularly in France. This is how the 
fraction of employers which was marking time within Medef, that of the 
UIMM (4) whose president is none other than the CEO of Dassault, 
welcomes the current geopolitical climate as a godsend. First of all, 
she sees it as an opportunity to restore her image and regain control 
after years of her image becoming outdated and the revelation of 
delicate matters, true open secrets (5)...

Above all, it can appear as the prime contractor for the government 
project to modernize not only military activity, but the industrial 
sector as a whole. Thus, the trick is played, and the military industry 
finds itself the instigator of a fantasized reindustrialization. To 
establish his position, the boss of the UIMM weighs the second place 
acquired by France ahead of Putin's Russia in the sale of arms on the 
world market. It is true that since the war in Ukraine the stock market 
shares of military equipment manufacturers, all categories combined, 
have increased by more than 35%.

If the industry only represents 10% of France's GDP, the armaments 
industry has just achieved 30 billion in turnover, including 10 billion 
in exports. Compared to the 2096 billion accumulated by the German 
manufacturing industry in 2020, this seems quite paltry (6). But it is 
also the balance or rather the imbalance within the "Franco-German 
couple" and the EU that is in question. France's stated desire to build 
a Europe of Defense can only be understood in terms of benefits which 
still elude it in a market from which it draws one of its main sources 
of income. For example, the EU spends 60 billion to buy planes from 
Lockheed Martin, the Poles equip themselves with the Koreans and the 
Germans continue to take their instructions from Washington... A return 
on investment all the more awaited by the UIMM that it pays more than 
400,000 euros each year in order to obtain the sympathetic ear of the 
European Commission.

Rolling out the red carpet for employers

On the eve of the First World War, R.Luxemburg affirmed that for the 
capitalist class, militarism had become essential from a triple point of 
view: "1° to defend national interests, (...) 2° to constitute a 
privileged area of investment both for financial capital than for 
industrial capital(...) 3° ensure its class domination over the working 
people..."

When reading the issue of the National Strategic Review of 2022(7), we 
will note that none of these three points is missing from the call of a 
program that ideally embodies the new General Delegate for Armaments, 
Emmanuel Chiva , at the same time business man, senior civil servant and 
reserve officer.

On the theme of defense of national interests, we observe nothing really 
new. Surveillance and the development of cybersecurity are on the 
agenda, but it is above all the partnerships between governments 
associated with arms sales that interest the State. These contracts 
allow it to maintain strategic positions internationally as well as its 
status as a "balancing power".

The second point of the roadmap arouses more marked interest. "Putting 
the capacity to produce back at the heart of concerns", by producing 
more, faster and above all less expensively, involves simplifying and 
optimizing the industrial tool. The objective pursued is thus to "reduce 
the level of requirements by 20% in order to simplify the work". By 
requiring less justification, the State assumes responsibility for 
sharing the risks induced with employers, intending to cover them in the 
event of a problem.

We can already see what this program contains in terms of attacks on the 
safety and working conditions of people assigned to production tasks in 
the sectors concerned. And further, to the entire world of work because 
Macron and his team insist on the need to involve in the project the 
thousands of SMEs and ETIs who already work between the civil and the 
military. Resorting to "dual companies" is an old practice of which the 
nuclear industry remains a textbook case in France. In this case, 
innovations and spin-offs are expected mainly on high-tech and high 
value-added products. Two birds with one stone...

Finally, after that of the workers, will come the turn of young people 
and primarily those from working-class backgrounds. They will be taken 
back in hand through work, discipline and ideology. A DGA official told 
the press that the defense industry is essential to put "people behind 
the machines.» To achieve this he intends to "communicate with young 
people" in order to recruit a certain number of them for welder or 
mechanical fitter positions in high demand by manufacturers. Soon, the 
Ministry of Defense will take steps in this direction with that of 
National Education.

In turn, the school will be called upon to promote the SNU and work to 
"reinforce and root as early as possible the spirit of defense in young 
people and the attractiveness of the profession of arms, in order to 
build a base of resilience collective".

Where to find the money?

As the saying goes, paper never refuses ink, and from the pen to the 
factory, there is still room... First of all, the State must ensure the 
financing of this scenario. The 413 billion announced will not be enough 
and the banks will think twice before committing.

Concerned about their image, they could lose access to financing at 
reduced rates if they suddenly began to invest heavily in the production 
and trade of arms. For the moment still, the taxonomy (8) practiced by 
the European Investment Bank dissuades them, unless it too changes its 
tune under pressure from member states. We recently learned that the 
Ministry of the Armed Forces is working on setting up a network of 
banking referents in France but also in Europe...

There is of course the European financial market, in particular Euronext 
where the share price of arms manufacturers has doubled under the 
combined effect of the war in Ukraine and the threats launched by Trump. 
In the event of his re-election, he announces that he will withdraw his 
financial support from Europe if certain member states do not subsidize 
NATO more...

There obviously remains the nest egg of French savers in the amount of 
2,500 billion euros which the State is eyeing with covetousness.

Finally and above all, the public deficit skillfully maintained by the 
unlimited drawing rights granted to employers will cause new and juicy 
budget cuts to the detriment of health, culture and social protection. 
There is no doubt that the generous sums thus generated will find buyers 
among the prince's favorites...

And now

The possibility of war should never be viewed lightly. For capitalism, 
this has a precise function: destroy excess capital and restart a new 
cycle of accumulation. However, we will be careful not to categorically 
assert, as some do, that we are on the eve of a new global explosion.

We must necessarily redouble our vigilance and oppose any form of 
regimentation. For this, we must combat all patriotic, nationalist, 
militarist and imperialist speeches wherever they come from and without 
exception. The refusal of the SNU and state propaganda aimed at the 
youngest, the fight against budget cuts in vital sectors of society and 
above all the daily class fight against employers and capital are the 
only weapons available to us, it is up to us to use them purposefully.

Boulogne-sur-mer, 04/14/2024

Notes

1. It never hurts to revisit your classics. The main texts of R. 
Luxemburg on militarism and imperialism still provide an enlightening 
point of view on the question today.

2. Eurosatory is an international exhibition which brings together the 
main arms manufacturers every two years in Paris.

3. "Karl Marx in Beijing", the work by Mylène Gaulard, published in 
2014, offers an overview whose conclusions on "The dangers of 
overaccumulation in China" - and beyond - have since been confirmed.

4. The Union of Metallurgical Industries and Trades (UIMM). We no longer 
present the French metallurgical employers, there is literature provided 
on their account...

5. The slush fund affair of 2007 is just one incident among the long 
list of those that mark its history.

6. GDP of Germany: 4500 billion in 2020. GDP of France: 2304 billion in 
2020.

7. Document to be found on the website of the General Secretariat of 
Defense and National Security.

8. Taxonomy: originally a branch of natural sciences diverted in order 
to green certain banking and/or productive practices.

Published in In your calendars | Leave a comment

https://lamouetteenragee.noblogs.org/post/2024/05/10/leconomie-de-guerre-selon-macron-ou-produire-au-son-des-canons/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe https://ainfos.ca/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en