Bradford professor on war, climate change, the economy – and how to fix them

A BRADFORD university professor who predicted the September 11 terror attack and the US ‘war on terror’ has called on the Government to scrap Trident to solve the its financial crisis.

He also says that the world’s military complexes need arms races and wars to thrive – and these relationships are rooted in the current economic system.

Emeritus Professor Paul Rogers from the University of Bradford dubs the UK’s Trident nuclear submarine programme a “delusion of post-imperial grandeur” and says its £200bn lifetime cost is a huge waste of money.

The international security expert says a two per cent wealth tax on the super-rich could also fill the Government’s financial black hole.

Professor Rogers makes the arguments in his new book, The Insecurity Trap – A Short Guide to Transformation (Hawthorn Press), which is out on Monday.

He said: “We have an extraordinary tax system here in the UK in which you get almost obscene levels of wealth developing. How can one person be worth tens of billions of pounds? There’s something very seriously wrong there.

The Insecurity Trap book cover, illustrated by Joe Magee (Image: Illustrated by Joe Magee)
“For Britain, nuclear weapons are a delusion of post-imperial grandeur. They have been from the start. If we ever did use them, depending on where we aimed them, they have the potential to kill about 20 million people in about an hour and a half – is that the sign of a civilised society?

“An ideal war is one in which it is possible to arm both sides, that lasts a long time and does not directly involve militaries of the country providing the armaments … the world’s military complexes need arms races and wars in order to thrive and such complexes are rooted in the current economic system.”

Professor Rogers added: “The Government is embarking on a review of Britain’s defence strategy but unless it focuses on issues such as climate breakdown and the global economic divide, it won’t be worth the paper it is written on.

“When we hear about the various crises around the world on the news, they are very often accompanied by a sense of helplessness. What this book aims to do is to look at these vexatious issues and, in a way, offer some hope to people, to show them ways in which we can all make a difference by helping to bring about peaceful change.”

Professor Rogers is the author of the bestselling book Losing Control: Global Security in the Twenty-first Century, which predicted 9/11, the US ‘War on Terror’ and the dire consequences that followed.

The Insecurity Trap – A Short Guide to Transformation is published by Hawthorne Press, available in paperback priced £11.99 from Monday, September 23. It is available from Hawthorne Press, Amazon, and other outlets.