World Military Spending in 2010 Why Not Invest in Peace?

I await the day when $1.6 trillion is invested in peace education. I had a discussion with an academic stating that we need to understand conflict. I told him we all engage in conflict at the family, organisational and international levels. We are aware these days of the sources of conflict, what we are less educated about is how to BE peace. This is critically important if we are to desire a shift from a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace. I explained people do not know how to apply conflict resolution, they are not trained to catalyse their inner values such as responsibility, empathy, integrity, honesty etc. Instead we have created around ourselves a system that is built on profit maximisation or greed where we let values slide as no-one else is doing it. This attitude of greed creates a mentality of reaching objectives without consideration for the emotional wellbeing of others, the end justifies the means, as they say. This disconnect arises as we are intellectualising life rather than deeply feeling it. The depth of humanity comes from our emotional intelligence and experience in living a full life. If one lives a limited life then conservatism arises combined with risk adverse fear mentalities. The call for weaponisation comes from the feeling of insecurity and the perceived need to arm up to protect citizens, is the rationale. In truth 90% of casualties in warfare are civilian, so the security argument is not the case on the ground. The more we use weapons the more civilians are harmed and the root problems never addressed. We require significant investment in peace e.g. Departments of Peace, peace education, conflict resolution and democracy. I would also advise courses in Byron Katies www.thework.com, as internal inquiry is the most important focus. The latter ensures that we learn how to take responsiblity for our thoughts and the true value of democracy teaches us to value the opinions of others and spread power equally. The concentration of power favours vested interests and therefore the public are more vulnerable to being victims of those who seek to protect their wealth or to extend their business reach into other parts of the world.

I look forward to the day when it is written in our history books how we moved from fear to a unity consciousness across the planet as we realised it was a zero sum game.

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute refer http://www.sipri.org/media/pressreleases/milex

11 April 2011: World military spending reached $1.6 trillion in 2010, biggest increase in South America, fall in Europe according to new SIPRI data World military expenditure in 2010 is estimated to have been $1630 billion, an increase of 1.3 per cent in real terms.* The region with the largest increase in military spending was South America, with a 5.8 per cent increase, reaching a total of $63.3 billion, according to new data published today by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The comprehensive annual update of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database is accessible from today at www.sipri.org. Read the press release in Swedish, French and Spanish and read the media background material here.
‘This continuing increase in South America is surprising given the lack of real military threats to most states and the existence of more pressing social needs’, states Carina Solmirano, Latin America Expert of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Project.

Part of the explanation for this rise is to be found in the strong economic growth the region has experienced in recent years, while in other regions the effects of the global economic recession caused military spending to fall or at least rise more slowly in 2010.

The United States still exceptional in military spending
Although the rate of increase in US military spending slowed in 2010—to 2.8 per cent compared to an annual average increase of 7.4 per cent between 2001 and 2009, the global increase in 2010 is almost entirely down to the United States, which accounted for $19.6 billion of the $20.6 billion global increase.

‘The USA has increased its military spending by 81 per cent since 2001, and now accounts for 43 per cent of the global total, six times its nearest rival China. At 4.8 per cent of GDP, US military spending in 2010 represents the largest economic burden outside the Middle East’, states Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman, Head of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Project.

Economic recession slows global rise of military spending. The global increase in military spending of 1.3 per cent is the slowest annual rate of increase since the surge in global military expenditure began after 2001. Between 2001 and 2009, the annual increase averaged 5.1 per cent.

In many cases, the falls or slower increases represent a delayed reaction to the global financial and economic crisis that broke in 2008.

In Europe, where military spending fell by 2.8 per cent, governments began to address soaring budget deficits, having previously enacted stimulus packages in 2009. Cuts were particularly substantial in the smaller, more vulnerable economies of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as those with particular budget difficulties such as Greece.

In Asia, even though most economies did not experience a recession, economic growth slowed down in 2009 while military spending continued to rise rapidly. Thus, the slower increase of 1.4 per cent in military spending in 2010 partly readjusts growth in military spending to economic growth rates. The Chinese Government, for example, explicitly linked its smaller increase in 2010 to China’s weaker economic performance in 2009.

Other notable developments

The Middle East spent $111 billion on military expenditure in 2010, an increase of 2.5 per cent over 2009. The largest absolute rise in the region was by Saudi Arabia.

Estimated spending in Africa increased by 5.2 per cent, led by major oil-producers such as Algeria, Angola and Nigeria.

For editors
SIPRI’s research on military spending monitors developments in military expenditure worldwide and maintains the most comprehensive, consistent and extensive data source available on military expenditure.

Military expenditure refers to all government spending on current military forces and activities, including salaries and benefits, operational expenses, arms and equipment purchases, military construction, research and development, and central administration, command and support. SIPRI therefore discourages the use of terms such as ‘arms spending’ when referring to military expenditure, as spending on armaments is usually only a minority of the total.

* All percentage increases and decreases are expressed in real terms (constant 2009 prices).

This is the third of the series of three major data set pre-launches before the launch on 7 June of SIPRI Yearbook 2011—cutting-edge information and analysis on the state of the world’s nuclear forces, the international peacekeeping agenda and steps to control WMD as well as a feature on corruption in the international arms trade. SIPRI data on the arms industry was launched on 21 February and on international arms transfers on 14 March.

For information and interview requests contact Stephanie Blenckner (blenckner@sipri.org, +46 8 655 97 47) or Claire Fanchini (fanchini@sipri.org, +46 8 655 97 87)