War or Peace?

Global military expenditure reached $1.9 trillion  in 2019, the highest annual sum in real terms since 1988. That sum marked an increase of 3.6% over 2018, the largest annual increase since 2010, according to the latest figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Of the 15 countries in the world with the highest defense budgets, six are NATO members: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. Their combined military expenditure makes up for almost half of the world's total figure. In 2019, the total military expenditure of NATO's 29 member states was some $1.04 trillion. According to the SIPRI report, in 2019 the US was responsible for 38% of global military expenditure, totaling $732 billion. The increase over its 2018 budget alone amounted to the equivalent of Germany's total expenditure in 2019. Experts  see the increase as a response to China, which ranks in second place after the US when it comes to military spending. Beijing's budget contributed 14% of global military expenditure in 2019 and rose by more than 5% to $261 billion. China has been increasing its military expenditure steadily since 1994, but its budget has jumped by 85% since 2010. However, in terms of percentage of GDP, this has not changed considerably and almost always lies at 1.9%.

Max Mutschler from the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC), a peace and conflict research institute explained, "Military expenditure is based on worst-case scenarios." He told DW that while the public often perceives economic conflict between states to be in the foreground, the threat of military conflict remains very present in the background.

"With regard to the tension between the US and China, we do not know if there will be an armed conflict or not. So the militaries in both countries are preparing for this eventuality, and they're very good when it comes to lobbying for more funds," he said.

On the Asian continent, the military expenditure of  nuclear power India, is also considerable, rising last year by almost 7% to $71.1 billion.

"The tension with neighboring countries Pakistan and China are the main reasons that the Indian government has increased its expenditure so dramatically," said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher with SIPRI.

Saudi Arabia lies well ahead of other Middle Eastern countries, spending $61.9 billion in 2019.

Military expenditure in other countries pales by comparison to the global top spenders. South American states spent "only" $53 billion in 2019, and Brazil alone was responsible for half of that.

Southeast Asian countries totaled around $41 billion.

And the entire continent of Africa spent some $42 billion.  Uganda, for example, increased its budget by 52%.

The COVID-19 pandemic shows that we've got our  priorities wrong. Keeping citizens safe is the greatest responsibility of any society. Citizens can only enjoy free, dignified lives when they are secure and prosperous. Since 2003, the world witnessed the SARS, H1N1, MERS, Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks. Nations, in others words, had ample time to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic. But governments  got their priorities wrong and invested billions in arms rather than readying for a potential pandemic disaster.  Increased military spending led to states diverting money away from health care systems, infrastructure networks and environmental protection measures. It is a fact long recognised and acknowledged even by capitalist politicians.

Former US President, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, said in 1953: 

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children."

Nation-states have failed to recognize the biggest threats to our safety: pandemics, climate change
and environmental destruction and prefer to guard their global trade routes or raw material sources. The pandemic we are facing has made very clear just how globalized our world is today. Something happening in far-away countries can swiftly spread and affect people across the globe. Globalization cannot be wished away. It is here to stay. That means the global community must cooperate not compete and enter into conflict. Only then can our world become a safe place for all and we see the end of armies and armament industries.