- Russia’s economy, boosted by military activity, is now classified as high-income by the World Bank.
- Russia’s GDP grew 3.6% in 2023, with trade and financial sectors rebounding.
- The World Bank also upgraded Bulgaria and Palau, while the West Bank and Gaza were downgraded.
I have seen analysis of this on modern wars and essentially none in the 19th or 20th centuries have produced positive ROI’s. It worked when power was so asymetrical that the great powers could easily conquer giant territories, but those days are long gone, as we can see in Ukraine.
Positive ROI for the country or for individual actors in the country? Because talking utility, wealth or wellbeing on a state level there is a lot of things, done terribly uneconomically. But the obscene wealth of the few is the detriment of the many.
It’s a good point. Someone profits I’m sure, even if it’s negative for the country as a whole.