<
https://theconversation.com/oppenheimers-warning-lives-on-international-laws-and-treaties-are-failing-to-stop-a-new-arms-race-210545>
"J. Robert Oppenheimer – the great nuclear physicist, “father of the atomic
bomb”, and now subject of a blockbuster biopic – always despaired about the
nuclear arms race triggered by his creation.
So the approaching 78th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing invites us to ask
how far we’ve come – or haven’t come – since his death in 1967.
The Cold War represented all that Oppenheimer had feared. But at its end,
then-US president George H.W. Bush spoke of a “peace dividend” that would see
money saved from reduced defence budgets transferred into more socially
productive enterprises.
Long-term benefits and rises in gross domestic product could have been
substantial, according to modelling by the International Monetary Fund,
especially for developing nations. Given the cost of global sustainable
development – currently estimated at US$5 trillion to $7 trillion annually –
this made perfect sense.
Unfortunately, that peace dividend is disappearing. The world is now spending
at least $2.2 trillion annually on weapons and defence. Estimates are far from
perfectly accurate, but it appears overall defence spending increased by 3.7%
in real terms in 2022.
The US alone spent $877 billion on defence in 2022 – 39% of the world total.
With Russia ($86.4 billion) and China ($292 billion), the top three spenders
account for 56% of global defence spending.
Military expenditure in Europe saw its steepest annual increase in at least 30
years. NATO countries and partners are all accelerating towards, or are already
past, the 2% of GDP military spending target. The global arms bazaar is busier
than ever.
Aside from the opportunity cost represented by these alarming figures, weak
international law in crucial areas means current military spending is largely
immune to effective regulation."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
