PODCAST: How Israel sells militarism at home and abroad
Sahar Vardi discusses the human and political costs of Israel's flourishing arms industry, and the deep societal shifts demilitarization would require.
By +972 Magazine March 27, 2026
Listen here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
How has Israeli society become so deeply militarized, and what does that mean for how “security” is defined?
In this episode, we speak with Sahar Vardi, a veteran anti-militarist activist and researcher who has spent years tracking Israel’s arms industry and its effects on society. She explains how militarization is embedded in everyday life, shaping culture, politics, and economic priorities, while carrying profoundly different meanings for Israelis and Palestinians.
Vardi also traces how Israel’s military industrial complex increasingly drives the nation’s policy priorities, and how these systems extend far beyond Israel’s borders, exporting both arms and doctrines of control into a global security economy. As defense exports rise, she asks who profits, who bears the cost, and why do we accept this model as inevitable despite its failure to provide real safety?
Additional reading:
,,,
