World in Serious Arms Race
World in Serious Arms Race
A recent study has once again proved this fact that the world is more focused on military spending and the arms race rather than focusing on the humanitarian issues, and the countries prefer to spend their money on weapons than to help people to have a peaceful life.

A recent study has once again proved this fact that the world is more focused on military spending and the arms race rather than focusing on the humanitarian issues, and the countries prefer to spend their money on weapons than to help people to have a peaceful life.

According to the new study, the world’s military expenditure has hit unprecedented levels, surpassing $2 trillion for the first time in 2021 and the figure may or better to say definitely rise in the upcoming years because of tension between the governments and the countries.

Researchers from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) predict that last year’s total global military spend of $2.1 trillion will only be beaten this year, given the security situation in Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This figure is just limited to the official deals and it may increase considerably with adding the smuggled arms.

The top countries that boosted their military arsenal in 2021 were the U.S., China, India, the UK and Russia, together accounting for 62 percent of total expenditure, according to the study. And one can say the result of such a boost in the current Ukraine war which has led to billions of dollars of damages.

Despite the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic around the world, global military expenditure by governments rose by 0.7 percent last year, it said. This is while many people in the world are suffering from the poverty and weak economy and they are clashing with their governments.

“In 2021 military spending rose for the seventh consecutive time to reach US$2.1 trillion. That is the highest figure we have ever had,” said Diego Lopes da Silva, senior researcher at Sipri.

Though the U.S. outspent all other nations with $801b, it actually recorded a decline of 1.4 percent from its 2020 expenditure.

U.S. funding for military research and development rose by 24 percent between 2012 and 2021, while procurements of arms fell by 6.4 percent during the same period. Both declined year-on-year in 2021. Of course one can expect such a budget for military sector from the U.S. as a world mongering country which has been behind most conflicts in the world. Major arms factories are in the U.S. and they milk weaker countries with supply of insignificant weapons.

“The increase in R&D spending over the decade 2012–21 suggests that the United States is focusing more on next-generation technologies,” said Alexandra Marksteiner, researcher with Sipri’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program. “The U.S. government has repeatedly stressed the need to preserve the US military’s technological edge over strategic competitors.”

 

China became the world’s second-largest spender, marking an increase of 4.7 percent in 2021 from the previous year. Growing its military prowess for 27 consecutive years, China injected an estimated $293b into its military in 2021.

Sipri senior researcher Dr Nan Tia said that China’s “growing assertiveness” in and around the South and East China Seas have become a “major driver of military spending in countries such as Australia and Japan”.

“An example is the AUKUS trilateral security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States that foresees the supply of eight nuclear-powered submarines to Australia at an estimated cost of up to $128bn,” the researcher said.

India, the third-highest military spender, recorded $76.6b in expenditure on its military as it countered the threat of enchroachments by the Chinese military on its eastern border. India’s spending rose by 0.9 per cent from 2020 and by 33 percent from 2012.

The UK marked an increase of 3 per cent in military spending to $68.4b, taking the fourth spot. It replaced Saudi Arabia, which instead decreased spending by 17 percent.

Russia, which is in war with Ukraine now, increased its military expenditure by 2.9 percent in the run-up to the war. In 2021, Moscow spent $65.9b to boost its military power at a time when it built up its forces along the Ukrainian border. Ukraine war made European countries mull increasing their military budgets and for this reason in 2022 and in 2023 the figure for world military expenditure will definitely exceed the current level.

High oil and gas revenues helped Russia boost its military spending in 2021, Lucie Béraud-Sudreau, director of Sipri’s military expenditure program said.

“Russian military expenditure had been in decline between 2016 and 2019 as a result of low energy prices combined with sanctions in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s expenditure declined to $5.9b, but still accounted for 3.2 percent of the country’s GDP.

More NATO countries have stepped up spending due to Russian threat, including Germany, which is the third largest spender in central and Western Europe. Mr Lopes da Silva said that analysts expected spending in Europe to continue to grow.

So with a quick glance at this figure, one can realize that for most countries military issue and military expenditure is more important than any other issues because they see their survivals in this issue rather than focusing on humanitarian and social justice issues.

This attitude will lead to more wars and conflicts in the world as well as more poverty and social injustice in the future and one can easily see that humanitarian issues are overshadowed by arms sales and races in the world and the rule of the jungle will dominate the world in the years ahead as one can currently see some signs of it in some parts of the world.