Global military spending hits record levels
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) has calculated that global military expenditure increased by 9.4 percent in 2024, with that figure rising to 17 percent in Europe - including Russia - as a result of the war in Ukraine. Europe's 693 billion dollars of military spending includes salaries and weapons procurement as well as investments in research and development.
Shrugging it off
For die taz, this report speaks to the very worst of humanity:
“In 2024 the world's nations invested more than 2718 billion US dollars in butchering each other or preparing to do so. The United Nations' budget for this year is 3.75 billion US dollars, around 700 times less than that. ... What Sipri has calculated as 'the sharpest global rise in military spending since the end of the Cold War' for 2024 cries out for voices of dissent. Instead, people seem to be just shrugging off such numbers in these times of war. ”
Useful side-effects
Aamulehti sees a positive side to the arms race:
“It's worth remembering that the Cold War did not only bring the fear of a global nuclear war; it was also a huge leap forward for technology. The development of defence and attack technologies resulted in computers, satellites, the internet, the entire digital revolution and countless other innovations. ... Weapons systems are a by-product of the AI race. But this race will also produce double-use technologies that can increase productivity in the civilian economy. If you're afraid to invest in defence equipment, you might take comfort in the fact that the civilian technologies it will spawn will ultimately be more important for humanity than weapons.”