The US airstrikes in Syria are, at least partially, a gift to weapons manufacturer Raytheon. In the last election cycle, Raytheon made around $3.4 million in campaign contributions and spent roughly$6 million on political lobbying.
This may seem like a lot, but consider that Raytheon’s share values have been on a steady increase since the election. The money they invest to influence policy brings a dramatic return.
Raytheon CEO William Swanson owns 650,000 shares in the company and in the last four months, due to the US military intervention in Syria, the share values have climbed from $98 per share to $127 per share. That means that William Swanson has made over $18 million just on the increased value of the shares he owns, $11 million of that in the last month alone.
Vanguard investment company, the major shareholder in Raytheon has profited over $133.5 million from the war in Syria in the last 30 days.
