Who Benefits From War?

1. A narrow passage whose control turns geography into leverage.
4. The watchdog function that barks before budgets bite the public.
8. The deliberate un-winding of war’s machinery back into civilian life.
10. The hidden nudges that steer choices long before anyone admits to being influenced.
11. Loyalty economics where favors are the preferred currency.
17. Politics run as a service plan for insiders rather than a contract with citizens.
18. A club of sellers that prefers choreography to competition.
19. A secret thank-you that travels in the wrong direction after a contract is awarded.
20. The art of persuasion practiced where decisions are cooked before they are served.

2. The official shopping list that can make or break integrity in public spending.
3. The gradual habit of solving civic problems with uniforms and hardware.
5. An actor who ruins a deal because calm would cancel their relevance.
6. The referees of conflict who keep the ball on the field and the elbows down.
7. Economic pressure applied like a tourniquet to change behavior at a distance.
9. The steady climb from disagreement to danger, rung by rung.
12. Past expenditures that keep us throwing good money after bad.
13. The promise of pain designed to keep opponents from testing your patience.
14. Commerce that dislikes borders and prefers unmarked doors.
15. The quiet consent that makes authority obeyed even when nobody is watching.
16. A system that stays stable because many voices are allowed to be loud without violence.