subject: The Lord Of War Has Been Busted! [print this page] If you've seen the 2005 film Lord of War some very interesting news was reported yesterday. Viktor Bout the inspiration for Nicholas Cage's character in the film, Yuri Orlov was arrested in Thailand. I'm curious to see if this man is actually going to face trial. The film described him as an 'equal opportunist gunrunner.' And from the news stories I've read, he is literally just that. He's supplied guns to rebels in Sierra Leone, to Afghanistan, even to the UN and the United States. His arrest yesterday was the result of US DEA members posing as Colombian Farc rebels (where he was apparently in the market to buy guns). The Guardian UK claims that he may very well speak over half a dozen languages, and he holds five different passports.
In light of the Russian spy ring found in New York, and movies coming out like Angelina Jolie's film Salt. The public's fascination with supposedly 'secret' international dealings is at its height. The thing about Viktor Bout, though I agree whole heartedly that he is in fact a 'merchant of death,' what he does is nothing in comparison to what all of these powerful countries do. The arms industry is a global industry. The United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia round out the top five countries who spend the most money on arms. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has the United States outspending the other four countries by a little over 522 billion dollars!
Towards the end of the film Lord of War, while Yuri Orlov is being detained by the Interpol agent played by Ethan Hawke, he declares himself to be a 'necessary evil.' That very well may be true, for countries looking to save face. Just goes to show that powerful friends sometimes need a scapegoat, and if you're that person, it sure does pay to have friends in high places. So, if anything comes of Viktor Bout's arrest, it will only be the light of hypocrisy.
