Tag Archives: military-industrial complex

Worldwide military spending was slightly up over the last year, with the US amounting to more than a third (35%) of global military spending. AntiWarRussia’s Military Spending Declines; US Now a Third of Global Spending Jason Ditz

The Trump administration rolled out a long-awaited overhaul of U.S. arms export policy on Thursday aimed at expanding sales to allies, saying it will bolster the American defense industry and create jobs at home. Reuters Trump launches effort to boost U.S. weapons sales abroad Mike Stone

Another multi-trillion dollar boondoggle in the works that could have been avoided. The Anglo-American defense industry will be pleased.Asia Times‘Star Wars’ missile defense is back, but not how it should be Doug Tsuruoka  | Editor At LargeSee also"Lest we forget." An indisputable fact is that what has led to both World Wars – that was British politics, or, if you prefer, whatever acted through it. However, there is an interesting difference between the activities of London in 1914 and...

Arms race on. Defense industry, a euphemism for the military industrial complex, salivates.As DefSec Mattis admits, the US cannot stop an ICBM attack by capabilities that already exists, so new technology doesn't increase the threat. The US strategy is not to counter an attack directly with through deterrence based on the the nuclear triad, or "trident."No matter, huge increases in defense spending are already on the way.The National InterestCould America Stop a Cruise Missile or Hypersonic...

I would estimate that there is a certain amount of truth to this, but the author is looking at Russia through American eyes and seeing Russia replicate the US defense industry and military Keynesianism as integral to the US economy. At the same time, as the author points out, militaries and defense industries in all countries are looking to enhance their interests, which are served by larger appropriations. On the other hand, as the author also admits, the Russian military is need of...

More on the nothing-burger. Cui bono? Russiagate has been a convenient distraction that has allowed both parties to curry favor with donors representing the military-idustrial complex as a primary driver of the American economy. Makes one wonder whether the Clinton-Obama Democrats are cynical and stupid, or craven dissemblers using Russiagate as a cover to avoid dealing with traditional Democratic issues and to marginalize progressives who want to focus on them. The Nation Aaron J....

The Washington Post headlined on January 26th, “Trump plans to ask for $716 billion for national defense in 2019 — a major increase”, and reported that when President Trump had entered the White House in January 2017, the ‘Defense’ budget was $521 billion, but that President Trump will propose in his upcoming State-of-the-Union speech, a 2019 ‘Defense’ budget of $716 billion, which, if it becomes law, would mean a 37% increase, above Obama’s last Pentagon budget (for 2017). This is in line...

The British military industrial complex needs to get its story straight. The Russian threat keeps changing from week to week, as more and more potentially nation-destroying dangers emanating from Moscow are revealed. The only thing that all the scary stories about Russia have in common is that they repeat the mantra that Russia is dangerous, very dangerous, and that the UK should therefore spend more on defence. The BBC notes in an article about Gavin Williamson’s statement that, ‘It comes...

The cost represent the use of real resources that could have been put to use constructively to address the world's problems, many of which are the result of conflict.  The social cost cannot be quantified since life is priceless. Total waste. Dumb, dumb, and dumber. World Economic ForumConflict costs the global economy $14 trillion a year Rob Smith

As we show in our recent research note ‘Blood and Oil in the Orient, Redux (2017)’, the Weapondollar-Petrodollar Coalition might no longer be in the Middle East driver’s seat. However, with the oil and armament companies, the region’s oil-exporting autocracies and various non-state groups all keen on seeing their oil incomes rise from record lows, the prospects of a new energy conflict, whether premeditated or coincidental, seem extremely high. More evidence suggestive that economics drives...