The Business of War & The Lies We're Sold

In this heavy-hitting episode of Unscripted, Lubna and Hawa pull back the curtain on the world’s most devastating industry: War. We often treat conflict as an inevitable part of the human experience—a "last resort" for safety—but what if almost everything we’ve been taught about why and how we fight is a carefully crafted myth? From the $2.3 trillion "victory" in Afghanistan that left the status quo unchanged, to the cold reality of "collateral damage," we’re breaking down the data that the military-industrial complex would rather keep quiet. We discuss why modern warfare targets civilians more than ever and how the pursuit of "security" often creates the very monsters we claim to be fighting.

What We Cover: The Illusion of Winning: Why there are no true victors when you factor in generational trauma and the $886 billion price tags.

The "Last Resort" Lie: A look at how diplomacy is often bypassed for resource interests and political gain.

Deconstructing "Human Nature": Why war isn't inevitable, featuring the inspiring example of nations that have abolished their militaries entirely.

The Blowback Effect: How interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan actually fueled global instability and radicalization.

Featured Reading To truly understand how foreign intervention can reshape a nation’s destiny for decades, we highly recommend reading "All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror" by Stephen Kinzer. It is a vital deep dive into the 1953 CIA-led overthrow of Iran’s democracy—a masterclass in how "strategic" wars create long-term chaos.

👉 Get the book on Amazon here

Highlights from the Episode:

90%: The staggering percentage of war casualties that are civilians in modern conflict.

The Versailles Lesson: How "winning" one war can directly plant the seeds for the next.

"War is largely a 20th–21st century industrial phenomenon. Normalizing it as 'human nature' is just a way to shut down the search for alternatives."