Global weapons spending hits record levels•US accounts for more than half total increase to $1.4tn

[go west young man]

Source: The Guardian UK

The idea of the 'war on terror' has encouraged many countries to see their problems through a highly militarised lens, using this to justify high military spending," said Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman, head of Sipri's military expenditure project. "Meanwhile, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost $903bn in additional military spending by the USA alone."

Sipri's yearbook also lists the top 100 arms producing companies, excluding Chinese ones, for which figures were unavailable. Boeing remained the top arms producer in 2007 – the most recent year for which reliable data is available – with arms sales worth $30.5bn. All the top 20 companies are American or European.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/08/record-world-weapons-spending

---

The "Wa On Terra" wins again! Thank you Mr. Bush for making the world a less safe place.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Not surprised. We need to spend 1/2 of increase to stay where we are: 1/2 of total global defense $

Our defense spending is greater than all other country's spending combined, IIRC.

China is beginning to spend more, according to a DU post yesterday or this morning.

[Old Hob]

3. In a world gone mad, perhaps investing in a strong defense is the most sane thing to do?

Am I the only one who sees a war coming?

[NYC_SKP]

4. Invest differently. Wage Peace.

We don't need to spend more, we need to spend differently.

The uglier we are, the more we need to spend because we create enemies.

I don't doubt that there's war coming, but we might consider waging peace as a form of defense.

:patriot:

[Old Hob]

5. No.

I generally believe in a strong military and in times such as these, doubly so. There's a storm coming. We would be foolish to deny it, more so to fail to prepare for it. America is bloody and battered and weakened. Our enemies will be looking to finish us off and it won't take much in case you haven't noticed. We probably shouldn't make things easier for them. Yes, I'm paranoid but that doesn't mean that people aren't out to get us.

[magellan]

7. If there's a storm coming

...it's one we brought on ourselves. Seeded the clouds and did the rain dance till our feet bled, we asked for it in so many ways.

[Old Hob]

8. how so?

[AndyTiedye]

10. They Don't Need to Attack Us, They Can Just Buy Us Out

Spending more money we don't have on the military would only make it easier.

[Old Hob]

14. Really? What do you propose we spend our money on then...that will make it harder for them.

unemployment checks? free healthcare for everyone? roads to nowhere? a pile of sand to stick our heads in?

[earcandle]

15. If so, who will defend us with these weapons? Contractors?

Our weakened Army?  

I say we start using diplomacy and civil engineers to clean up
what we created, admit our mistakes, prosecute the criminals,
ask for forgiveness from the public for allowing lack of
oversight and for legislating regulations out of our system of
laws, checks, and balances, and start again.   

Forgiveness is the answer here, not eye for an eye justice,
which is old testament,btw.  Old testament folks like to war. 
They keep their power and wealth only through war.  War is not
something that can happen if nobody is willing to die for
them.  Pay our men good money doing good things and they will
not risk their lives doing the things that keep war, crime,
and disease industries in place.    

If we have a back bone at all, we must use our intelligence,
characters, and goodwill in conversations and actions that
will bring us home.  Home is where the heart is, don't forget.

[PaulaFarrell]

28. Oh please

For goodness sake,it is thinking such as yours that has caused this tragic misuse of money in the first place. Who exactly are these people who want to 'finish us off'? Most countries' economies are intricately linked with the US and finishing us off would finish them off too. OK, maybe there are a few cranks out there who would like to see it but they do not wield much, if any, power.

America is not 'bloody, battered and weakened' - it still has a higher standard of living than most of the rest of the world, by far the biggest military and as this article points out, spends more than the rest of the world combined on defense (sic). I guess if the entire world were the enemies of the US that might make sense - though you'd have to ask who was in the wrong if that was actually the case - but most of the rest of the world considers itself allied with the US.

So I ask again - who are these enemies with the capability of finishing us off?

I'm very sorry for your paranoia but you need to address it - get some spine and try to figiure out what is in the best inrterest of the whole world - rather than trying to spread your fear to the rest of us. Gee, just imagine what $1.4 trillion dollars could achieve to make a better world. Makes me so sad to see it thrown away like this.

[Blandocyte]

29. There's always storms coming

It's been that way forever. Creating more weapons spends resources that could be used to strengthen our country in other ways. It steals resources away from building alliances based on assisting other countries to develop instead of merely allowing us to put our foot on their throat while we point a gun at them, which ultimately leads to "a storm coming" like it did in Iran in '79.

[AndyTiedye]

9. Conversely, If You Are an Arms Maker, You Invest In That Which Spreads Hate and Fear

Which is why GE owns NBC, for example.

[Old Hob]

11. the world is gearing up for war. GE has no control over that.

and NBC hardly spreads hate and fear.

[earcandle]

16. Really?

[ProudDad]

18. Spending for war

in order to be "ready for war"

Especially when you're also arming the "other side"...

Is a REAL GOOD working definition of insanity.

The USAmerikan Empire is fucking insane!!!!

:nuke:

[Old Hob]

20. What "other side" are we arming exactly?

I was under the impression that Russia and China were were arming "the other side".

[ProudDad]

22. Ok, here's the list -- From 1970 to 2008 - USAmerika has Armed

Afghanistan, Afghanistan/Mujahideen, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Angola/UNITA, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Rep., Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, DR Congo (Zaire), Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany (FRG), Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Micronesia, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, NATO, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nicaragua/Contras, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Yemen, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reg. Sec. System, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia & Mont., Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Vietnam, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, UK, United Nations, Unknown country, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Any more questions?

[Sabriel]

2. Good news for US corporations

We produce a lot of the world's weaponry. Yeah for military companies getting even wealthier than they are already!

(Lots of money for killing people, not much for educating them or making them healthy.)

[Amonester]

6. The fat cats get their health checked and cared for...

for what they consider "spare change" and that's about all they care about.

They've got theirs, screw the rest of us... (what they want).

[Old Hob]

13. omg, there's somebody better off than you. that's so unfair.

we better stop spending money on defense then, that'll show 'em.

[ProudDad]

19. Get your terminology straight...

It's not "Defense" we've been spending on these last 70 years.

It's the permanent war economy (bubble) that those cowards have spent our treasure on...

Arming BOTH SIDES...

The USAmerikan Empire is the number one arms dealer in the world...

Osama -- USAmerikan Weapons

Iran -- USAmerikan Weapons left over from the Shah

Iraq AND Iran -- USAmerikan Weapons

Gaza -- USAmerikan Weapons

The Central American right-wing bestiality during the 80s and early 90s -- USAmerikan Imperial weapons.

We're the big satan who exports weapons, fear, hate and xenophobia and then acts so surprised when the chickens come home to roost.

What freakin' idiots.

---------------------------

Wage Peace.

Export technology and knowledge that feeds and houses and clothes and educates people WITHOUT STRINGS ATTACHED.

HEY, novel idea! Start at home with, say, YES, Universal single-payer health care NOW!

We could make sure that the principles of the International Declaration of Human Rights are implemented here in the belly of the USAmerikan Beast!

Hell, USAmerika could start by fucking RATIFYING the International Declaration of Human Rights!!!

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml

Ah, but that would cut into profits...and we mustn't cut into profits.

[Old Hob]

21. it is.

"It's the permanent war economy (bubble) that those cowards have spent our treasure on..."
I don't think America invented warfare. I'm pretty sure it has been a permanent fixture of humanity for...ever. I'm pretty sre it will still exist long after America ceases to exist.

"The USAmerikan Empire is the number one arms dealer in the world..."
Europe exports way more weapons than does America. What's more, our weapons cost more because they're generally way more advanced than our competitors so, while we may export more in a dollars and cents sense, we do not necessarily export more weapons than Russia, the second biggest arms dealer in the world.


"Osama -- USAmerikan Weapons"
you mean the leftovers from the Aghanistan/Russia conflict I presume. I somehow doubt that any of those weapons are still serviceableand, ya know what, we did what we had to do at the time. The Russians were the bad guys there, not us.


"Iran -- USAmerikan Weapons left over from the Shah"
Those Tomcats? I wouldn't want to fly in one let alone go to war with one and I seriosuly doubt any of them could get off the ground at this point due to the lack of maintenance parts. That was all a very long time ago and the geo-political circumstances were much different then. We no longer send weapons to Iran but Russia and China do (and probably Europe too).

"Gaza -- USAmerikan Weapons'
The Merkava is American now? the Uzi too? They're a US ally surrounded by enemies. Of course we've aided them as necessary but their military is largely self sufficient. they don't need us half as bad as we like to think they do.

"Export technology and knowledge that feeds and houses and clothes and educates people WITHOUT STRINGS ATTACHED."
A.) we do export all of these things. America is not only the number one supplier of arms to the world, she is the number one supplier of foreign aid. Nobody even comes close.

"HEY, novel idea! Start at home with, say, YES, Universal single-payer health care NOW!"
It sound slike your plan is to just give shit away to everybody. How long do you think we could keep that up? and how would that keep us safe?

[ProudDad]

23. Here's the list -- from 1970 to 2008 USAmerika has armed

Afghanistan, Afghanistan/Mujahideen, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Angola/UNITA, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Rep., Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, DR Congo (Zaire), Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany (FRG), Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Micronesia, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, NATO, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nicaragua/Contras, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Yemen, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reg. Sec. System, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia & Mont., Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Vietnam, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, UK, United Nations, Unknown country, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Any more questions?

Enough food for paranoid fantasies?

-----------------------

You'd better check your facts AGAIN...(be careful, I check things!)

The USAmerikan Empire comes in #18 in foreign aid in spite of being the richest nation by far! We are the richest and the stingiest of the rich...

Denmark is number One!

# 1 Denmark: 52%
# 2 Netherlands: 38%
# 3 Austria: 36%
# 4 Norway: 33%
# 5 Japan: 29%
# 6 Sweden: 28%
= 7 Belgium: 23%
= 7 Canada: 23%
# 9 Ireland: 22%
# 10 Switzerland: 21%
= 11 France: 18%
= 11 Finland: 18%
= 11 Germany: 18%
# 14 Australia: 14%
# 15 New Zealand: 13%
# 16 United Kingdom: 9%
# 17 Italy: 8%
# 18 United States: 3%

Even Freakin' Berlusconi is more generous that the USAmerikan Empire!!! Haw, haw, haw.

USAmerika is the number ONE exporter of WAR SHIT but not humanitarian aid...

---------------------------------

My plan is to treat the Earth as our home, treat all inhabitants as fellow creatures worthy of the Declaration of Human Rights you obviously didn't bother to read and quit acting like greedy assholes...

We'll never be safe as long as we act like greedy assholes.

-----------------------

And, no, again you're dead wrong. On human evolutionary terms organized, cold blooded, deadly warfare is a recent invention of the domination model that took over only about 20,000 years ago. It's a damn recent and damn stupid invention...

About time to abandon that failed experiment in interpersonal relationships.

[Old Hob]

27. .....

Any more questions?
Yeah, why do you hate America?

Seriously. You list those countries off as if we forced them to buy our weapons when, in reality, the vast majority of them were just trying to defend themselves against Soviet aggression. was that not justified?

"We'll never be safe as long as we act like greedy assholes."
I don't believe that we are greedy assholes. I already pointed out that were the largest donor of foreign aid in the world. providing weapons to foreign countries involved in wars of aggression against tyranical forces just doesn't seem greedy to me. it seems righteous. Here's some universal rights for you, the right to defend oneself,
the right to self determination, the right to live free. You sound as if you spent your school years in a soviet indoctrination camp. let me re-educate you, we're the good guys. The Iranians and the North Koreans are the bad guys.

[Nihil]

30. "Yeah, why do you hate America?"

:rofl:

>> "We'll never be safe as long as we act like greedy assholes."
> I don't believe that we are greedy assholes.

Either your reading ability or your understanding of English is
failing you here. I'll let you work out the difference between
the previous poster's comment and your own.

> Here's some universal rights for you,

No such thing but anyway ...

> the right to defend oneself,

That'll be the one that the Iraqis & Afghans have been busy trying
to exercise for years now.

> the right to self determination,

Iraq? Iran? Afghanistan?

> the right to live free.

Yeah, Iraqis live really "free" around the "Green zone" don't they?
Oh ... I forgot that you exclude arbitrary chunks of other people's
countries if they disagree with you ...

Why is it that people like you who claim that is a "right" are also
the very first to encourage action *against* the inhabitants of a
sovereign country that dare to choose something different to the
US policy on that subject?

> let me re-educate you, we're the good guys.
> The Iranians and the North Koreans are the bad guys.

News for you Old Nob: *YOU* embody everything bad that is associated
with the world's perception of "an American". Insular, ignorant,
arrogant and bigoted - the typical schoolyard bully. The rest of the
world breathed a sigh of relief when the last election results came
through as they could see a *chance* of the real America - from the
underlying majority of Americans - breaking through the rotted facade
that has been on view for decades.

[ProudDad]

31. Why are you so prone to commit logic errors when cornered?

I don't hate America...I love Cuba, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, parts of California, Mexico and even Arizona, etc. etc. etc. They're all part of "America."

It's all Earth, some beautiful, some barren. I love many parts of Europe and Africa that I've seen as well.

I will admit that I hate the USAmerikan Empire and its leadership role in the destruction of the Earth and many of its inhabitants.

But the USAmerikan Empire is a nationalistic political entity -- Piss on ALL FLAGS!!!

It will not last any more than its predecessors lasted. Good riddance.

---------------------

Your last paragraph renders me nearly speechless...but the warmongering insanity of it speaks volumes. It displays an amazing level of ignorance.

Thanks for convicting yourself with your own fingers...

:eyes: :crazy: :crazy:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

32. So Saddam's tanks were US M1A1's made to look like Russian T-62 and T-72's?

[earcandle]

17. Ditto! BABY!

[earcandle]

12. who are we killing with these weapons and why?

[ProudDad]

24. Here's why

The flag of the Corporatist States of USAmerika...



Who?

Anybody who gets in the way of the greedy assholes of Amerika...

[earcandle]

33. well designed symbol of amerika, thanks!

[ShortnFiery]

25. Masters of War Profiteering RULE!

[Rex]

26. USA = Weapons INC.

Money money money!