There has never been a better time to be vegan. From plant-based options popping up at national restaurant chains to faux-leather fashion on the runway, anything you can do, we can do vegan – including go to war?
It sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true: painting itself as plant-based is the new favorite tactic of the international war machine. On January 1, Democratic Majority for Israel made a tweet bragging about the many alternatives to animal products utilized by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in 2020. VegNews, the biggest vegan outlet in the world, rang in the new year with praise of the South Korean military’s recent decision to offer meatless meals to enlistees.
This trend started long before 2021. Though the US military has been reluctant to explicitly appeal to vegans, its enlistees frequently do advertising of their own: PETA shared an interview with a vegan soldier in 2011. VegNews routinely runs articles in praise of militaries around the world, from Switzerland to Finland to, again, Israel. Israel is particularly adept at marketing to vegan tourists, and the IDF has followed suit with its soldiers.