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Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017

Global arms trade hits highest levels since the Cold War

Author:     Zlata Rodionova
Source:     The Independent (U.K.)
Publication Date:     21 February 2017
 Link: Global arms trade hits highest levels since the Cold War
Stephan:   Amid all the other madness that is going on in the world, particularly the implosion of the United States as a democracy, few think much about the global arms trade. The American media hardly covers the topic any more and almost no one outside of the trade has any idea that is has been growing at a rate unequaled since the cold war. Nor do most in the U.S. realize that we are the world's leading merchants of death. Here's some data, and it is nothing to be proud of. Do I need to say this is just another bloody project based on greed? Probably not. One can only wonder how much better the world would be if these hundreds of billions of dollars had been spent on creating wellbeing.

The global trade of weapons has risen over the past five years to its highest level since the end of the Cold War. (emphasis added)

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), worldwide sales of arms increased by 8.4 per cent in the period between 2012 and 2016 compared with the previous five years, driven by increasing demand from countries in the Middle East and Asia.

Arms imports by countries in the Middle East increased by 86 per cent during the period, with Saudi Arabia’s up by 212 per cent and Qatar’s up by 245 per cent.

“Over the past five years, most states in the Middle East have turned primarily to the USA and Europe in their accelerated pursuit of advanced military capabilities,” said Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

“Despite low oil prices, countries in the region continued to order more weapons in 2016, perceiving them as crucial tools for dealing with conflicts and regional tensions.”

The USA was the top arms exporter during the period, accounting for a third of all exports.

Its arms exports increased by 21 per cent compared to the 2007 to 2011 period. Almost […]

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2 Comments

  1. Jon on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 5:50 am

    Of course! Gotta make sure all sides are armed to the teeth! Lots of money to be made by the munitions industry!….good for the economy!

  2. shovland on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 7:27 am

    Trump was elected by our normal process.

    Arms sales by the US continued full speed under Obama. Would there have been any change under Hillary? A lot of her friends are Neocons who profit from war.