A better world is possible - Global Commons Institute

Copyright Bruce Nixon 2010. All rights reserved. This electronic copy is provided free for personal, non-commercial use only.
www.brucenixon.com
The cost of the Afghan conflict The Independent summarised the cost of the Afghan conflict:
The Cost of the Afghan conflict
Overall cost - £12bn – money that arguably could have been far better spent.
Increase in Ministry of Defence spending 2006/7 to 2009/10 – 400%
Estimated Afghan civilians killed as a result of conflict – 30,000
UK service personnel killed since 2001- 189
Increase in Afghan opium production 150%.
Source: Independent on Sunday, 26 th July 2009
Why are we so blind to the fundamental threats to our survival? They are much greater than terrorism,
which is not to say that we should not do everything to prevent it. Is what we doing likely to achieve that?
Unjust USA and UK foreign policies are a major cause of hostility to the West, violence and terrorism. Global
justice, conflict resolution and non-violence would have a more positive impact.
Militarism and military economy Militarism and arms production are a major part of the global economy.
Militarism and war are externalised costs of our lifestyle. Over one trillion dollars, $1,470,000,000,000, spent
annually on the military and the arms trade is the largest single item of world spending. In comparison, UN
and all its agencies spend only $20bn annually or about $3 for each inhabitant.
“When the world needs co-operative solutions to global problems, the thriving international arms market
points to a squandering of resources which the international institutions can ill afford.”
Paul Holtom, head of SIPRI’s arms transfer programme
The biggest arms suppliers are USA, accounting for 31%, Russia, Germany, France and UK. The world arms
trade has expanded over 20% in the past five years according to the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute – (SIPRI). Arms sales to Middle Eastern countries rose 38%. Other key markets include China, India,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The US war machine is by far the largest in the world and its spending almost matches that for the rest of the
world. Their 2009 budget $ 636,292,979,000 is 4 % of its economy and exceeds Australia’s whole GDP. Next
are: France, $70,613,746,423, China, $70,308,600,000, UK $ 65,149,500,000, all more than Russia’s
39,600,000,000 (see Wiki’ list of military spending). There is an unholy alliance between the Pentagon, arms
manufacturers like Lockheed Martin and Boeing and Congress, because of jobs, lobbying and the cost of
electioneering. That is how US democracy is corrupted. Rupert Cornwall calls this an “Iron Triangle.” Hence,
there is a substantial interest in keeping the US public terrified. General Eisenhower described this as a
“military-industrial complex” and prophetically spoke of “defending ourselves against one disaster by inviting
another.”
These figures do not include the environmental costs of war. Apart from the greenhouse gases and
pollution released in warfare, there is a huge diversion of attention and resources. Human and financial
resources could be employed in so much better ways at a time when the greatest threats to humanity are
the environmental catastrophe and starvation that will result from climate change and over-consumption
unless we take urgent and decisive action.
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