Military Spending

Description:

After declining in the post-cold war era of the early 1990s, global military spending has been on the rise again in the last decade. The United Nations is surprised at this continued rise in military spending — particularly at a time when the international community is grappling with a spreading financial crisis which threatens to undermine the poverty reduction goals of the world body. The global military spending is estimated at over US$1 trillion ($1.43 trillion),representing 2.4 per cent of world gross domestic product (GDP). Its level is now higher than during the latest Cold War peak in the 1980s.

Enablers:

• ambitions for global or regional power status
• regional tensions or other national security concerns
• armed conflict
• international peace missions
• internal political factors
• exaggerated belief that political goals can be achieved by military means
• global war on terror

Inhibitors:

• European Union

The EU has had an almost flat trend in military spending over the past 10-year period.

• major reduction in inter-state conflict
• Deals between the countries to limit the military spending

Paradigms:

The main reason for the increase in world military spending is the massive increase in the United States, which accounts for almost half of the world total.... In the absence of [appropriations for the new war on terror, and on Iraq], US military expenditure would still show a significant increase, but at a much slower rate, and world military spending would show a rise of 4 per cent rather than 11 per cent in 2003. But it is not just the U.S. military spending. In fact, western militarism often overlaps with civilian functions affecting attitudes to militarism in general. As a result, when revelations come out that some Western militaries may have trained dictators and human rights violators, the justification given may be surprising.

Experts:

Jan Oberg US Department of Justice United Nations

Timing:

Military spending will only be reduced when a president of the United States comes with peaceful talks. When terrorism is almost negligible and the countries feel secure. I do not see military spending decreasing in the next 5 years. Maybe by 2010 military spending will decrease.