The world’s nine nuclear-armed countries spent $82.4bn upgrading their atomic weapons in 2021.
The biggest spender was the United States, which accounted for more than half the total spending.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said, “This spending failed to deter a war in Europe and squandered valuable resources that could be better used to address current security challenges, or cope with the outcome of a still raging global pandemic. This corrupt cycle of wasteful spending must be put to an end.”
ICAN noted that nuclear weapons producers also spent millions lobbying on defence, with every $1 spent lobbying leading to an average of $256 in new contracts involving nuclear weapons.
“The exchange of money and influence, from countries to companies to lobbyists and think tanks, sustains and maintains a global arsenal of catastrophically destructive weapons,” the report said.
Nuclear-armed nations spent $82.4bn on weapons in 2021 | Nuclear Weapons News | Al Jazeera
It is a tricky issue, because on the one hand they cost a hell of a lot of money, and if they're used could lead to the end of the world. But on the other hand, they do a lot to prevent war between states that have them.
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