Opinion | Editorials
New arms race must be checked
No amount of military spending by emerging powers can solve essential issues like poverty.
- Gulf News
- Published: 00:36 March 5, 2008
An Asian arms race is under way and it looks more like a marathon than a sprint. China is planning to increase military spending by nearly 18 per cent this year, to $59 billion.
This follows increased expenditure by India and Japan. Military spending in Asia is still just a fraction of what the US spends annually but it is increasing, especially among emerging economies. Nor is this confined to Asia.
Globally, military expenditure and the arms trade account for the largest spending in the world at over $1 trillion annually. In the short term, at least, this is likely to increase dramatically as space is no longer the final frontier but is considered increasingly by military planners as the first line of defence.
Apart from the obvious risks involved in expanding arsenals, such expenditure diverts money away from tackling the scourges of poverty and disease which no amount of military hardware can eradicate.
More from Editorials
More from Opinions
Opinion Editor's choice
-
Egyptians must reject foreign meddling
By Tariq Ramadan, Special to Gulf News
Presidential election may turn out to be less a new chapter in a democratic future than an old chapter complete with a stage-managed outcome
-
Moderates may gift Egypt to Islamists
By Linda S. Heard, Special to Gulf News
Liberals cannot afford to sit at home or in cafes watching queues lengthen outside polling stations. They must quit complaining and vote with their feet
-
Is Al Maliki serious about democracy and more words?
By Mohammad Akef Jamal, Special to Gulf News
He is pushing towards a military showdown with the Kurds at a time when they are stronger than ever before
Your turn
