The Nexus of Power

Privatization, Propaganda, and the Military-Industrial Complex

The Nexus of Power: Privatization, Propaganda, and the Military-Industrial Complex

Private equity firms have become key players in shaping the modern economic landscape, and their influence extends well beyond traditional sectors like technology, healthcare, and finance. A firm like Nexus Capital Management has demonstrated a troubling pattern of acquiring companies in industries that have significant power over the population—education, military, agriculture, and media. These acquisitions highlight not only a business strategy for wealth accumulation but also a potentially dangerous consolidation of power that could manipulate history, control labor, and suppress dissent, all under the auspices of a monopolistic elite class.

The connection between private equity, the military-industrial complex, and the privatization of prisons can be traced back to World War II, a period that shaped the global political and economic systems in ways that continue to reverberate today. The Latin meaning of nexus—“to bind” or “to tie”—is particularly appropriate when considering the intertwining relationships between corporations, government, and military forces. As Nexus Capital Management aggressively expands into various sectors, it seems to be creating a web of influence that binds education, labor, and military interests together. In this essay, we will explore how these acquisitions may serve to control future generations of workers, military members, and the general populace, and how they may be used to manage dissent in the event of a class uprising against the billionaire elite.

The Military-Industrial Complex and Private Equity: A Legacy of World War II

The roots of the military-industrial complex stretch back to World War II, when the U.S. government partnered with private companies to ramp up production for the war effort. These collaborations between private industry and government created a new economic order in which private corporations had a vested interest in maintaining military contracts, manufacturing weapons, and controlling the resources necessary to fight global wars. This partnership was formalized after the war through the establishment of permanent defense industries that continued to grow under the guise of national security needs.

Private equity firms like Nexus Capital Management are modern iterations of these wartime alliances. Through acquisitions like HDT Global, a military-industrial company, Nexus is strategically positioning itself to benefit from government contracts related to defense. These firms often operate behind the scenes, securing profitable military deals while maintaining a distance from the direct involvement in warfare, allowing them to skirt scrutiny over the morality of war profiteering. The military-industrial complex thrives on conflict, as war and defense spending remain lucrative, offering private equity firms a financial lifeline that aligns their interests with geopolitical instability.

The relationship between private equity firms and the military-industrial complex can be seen as a continuation of the post-WWII trend of privatizing war profiteering. Nexus Capital’s portfolio indicates a desire to secure power over industries that supply military goods, food for warzones, and media to shape public opinion. It is an attempt to not only profit from these industries but also to have influence over how conflicts are managed, how public opinion is formed, and who controls the resources necessary to continue conflicts.

Privatized Prisons and the Legacy of Slave Labor

The privatization of prisons in the United States has long been a controversial issue. Starting in the 1980s, private companies began taking over the operation of prisons, leading to a significant increase in incarceration rates, particularly among marginalized communities. These private prisons, often owned by large corporations like GEO Group and CoreCivic, are highly profitable due to the steady stream of incarcerated individuals. The use of prisoners for labor, often under exploitative conditions, has drawn parallels with the history of slavery in the United States.

Private equity firms like Nexus Capital Management, with their vested interest in industries like agriculture, military, and media, appear to be positioning themselves to benefit from an expanding prison-industrial complex. Nexus’s potential involvement in the privatized prison industry could be seen as an extension of this exploitative legacy, with incarcerated individuals being treated as disposable labor to fuel corporate profits. The acquisition of companies in various sectors that rely on low-wage labor—such as agriculture—could feed into the practice of using prison labor to meet the demands of capitalist economies.

Furthermore, Nexus’s investments in educational companies raise alarming concerns about the potential for creating a system of ideological control. If these companies were to adopt a Christian Nationalist worldview, they could influence young minds by shaping the narrative around issues like race, gender, and history. This could play into the broader strategy of controlling the narrative and rewriting history to serve the interests of the elite.

The Role of Education in Maintaining Control

Education has always been a tool for shaping societal values and preparing future generations for their roles in the labor market. As private equity firms like Nexus purchase educational companies, there is a risk that these institutions could become propaganda machines. Considering one of the 11 securities holders in Nexus is Parents Defending Education, a far-right conservative think tank seemingly determined to undermine our educational systems, its clear to see the danger of one controlled by corporate interests, which could be used to suppress critical thinking and manipulate history in ways that serve the interests of the wealthy elite. For instance, crucial events like slavery, the civil rights movement, Nazi Germany, and labor rights struggles could be downplayed or omitted entirely to create a workforce that accepts its place in a stratified society.

A future where Nexus’s acquisitions in education, military-industrial sectors, and media are tied together could lead to a generation of workers, soldiers, and civilians who are indoctrinated into a worldview that justifies inequality, oppression, and the consolidation of wealth and power. If such a system were to be established, it could be used as a powerful tool to suppress dissent, ensuring that any attempts at class uprisings or challenges to the status quo are met with both ideological and physical force.

Economic Collapse and Perpetual Growth

The world faces a growing paradox: economic systems that rely on perpetual growth while confronting population decline and the climate crisis. In Survival of the Richest by Douglas Rushkoff, the book explores how the billionaire class’s obsession with profit and growth at all costs has led to a financial system on the brink of collapse. With shrinking populations in developed nations and growing inequality, these systems are facing unprecedented stress. As wealth becomes more concentrated, the need for expansion, more markets, and increased resource extraction creates an unsustainable cycle of exploitation.

Private equity firms like Nexus are capitalizing on this crisis, moving into sectors such as defense and agriculture while profiting from the very problems they have helped create. Their role in perpetuating climate change through the extraction of resources is part of a broader strategy to ensure that they maintain control during times of crisis. And as economic collapse becomes more likely, Nexus Capital and other firms are positioning themselves to profit by offering "solutions" to the very crises they have exacerbated. This dark cycle highlights how the wealthy use crisis to further entrench their power, creating new markets in disaster and instability.

The Unified Working Class: A Path Forward

Despite the growing dominance of private equity firms and the billionaire class, the power of the unified working class remains a force to be reckoned with. The key to breaking the cycle of exploitation lies in recognizing the interconnectedness of our struggles and rejecting the propaganda that divides us. As we confront the growing threats posed by privatization, economic collapse, and environmental disaster, it is essential to reconnect with each other and reclaim our collective power.

The working class, united in solidarity, has the potential to challenge the monopolistic strategies of firms like Nexus Capital Management and the corporate elite. By fighting for systemic reform and creating new models of economic organization based on equity and sustainability, we can build a better world—one where power is decentralized, history is not rewritten for the benefit of a few, and resources are used to meet the needs of all people, not just the wealthy few. The power to change the world lies in our ability to see through the veil of propaganda and to recognize our shared humanity. The better world we seek is possible—if we are willing to fight for it.