U.S. World Militarization Continues to Escalate

U.S. World Militarization Continues to Escalate
by Arn Specter, Phila. September 7, 2009 (Twitter and Op Ed News)

United States Militarization continues to make the news while making the world a much more dangerous place to live in for millions of people.

In addition to selling far more arms to other nations than any other country (see article below by Thom Shanker) the U.S. is planning an expansion of their Missile Defense Program, more of a world wide effort with more sophisticated technology and weaponry; possibly updated replacement nuclear warheads; expanded military presence in Africa via AFRICOM; expansion into South America's Columbia using seven of their military bases supposedly to fight drug trafficking (though Cesar Chavez - arch enemy- is right next door in Venezuela); armoring the Middle East's Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emigrates and Israel as deterrant against Iran; continuing to fight two wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan drawing in more troops and weapons from over 40 nations in NATO; and working with the largest military budget in history despite the U.S. and global financial crisis where more people are out of work, losing their homes, suffering for lack of health care and millions are still actually starving in the world today!

Too, the .U.S. is expanding Space Weaponry and Surveillance as well as maintaining over 700 Military Bases on foreign soil.

Thus, the militarization of the world by the U.S. continues virtually unchallenged including the constant threat of nuclear weapons being used - even by accident- and even made more deadly being upgraded by new superior technologies, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is advocating.

The world is a more dangerous place today than ever before bufferred by the fortunate increase in diplomatic efforts and more negotiations taking place in troubled areas. The call for disarmament of weapons seems to be as a whisper, with hardly a peep for the U.S. to join the Cluster Munitions Ban Treaty coming up again this month at the United Nations. There is a Bill in Congress sponsored by Sen. Leahy and Feinstein but no movement for the U.S. to join with over 100 other countries who have worked for years to manage a cooperate agreement and willingness to curtail the production, buying or selling, or use of the deadly cluster munitions, which still maim and kill children in some
countries from past bombings and war.

The U.S. remains the world's #1 producer, seller and user of weapons and warmaking. We need an Administration and Congress that realizes the danger of these military and geopolitical policies and decides to change to policies that foster cooperation and peacemaking among nations. This might take electing many new people into Congress next November, representatives who stand up for reducing the military budget and foster an increase in efforts by the State Department in diplomacy and negotiating for peace.

Arn Specter,Phila. (Twitter and Op Ed News)
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September 7, 2009

Despite Slump, U.S. Role as Top Arms Supplier Grows

By THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON — Despite a recession that knocked down global arms sales last year, the United States expanded its role as the world’s leading weapons supplier, increasing its share to more than two-thirds of all foreign armaments deals, according to a new Congressional study.

The United States signed weapons agreements valued at $37.8 billion in 2008, or 68.4 percent of all business in the global arms bazaar, up significantly from American sales of $25.4 billion the year before.

Italy was a distant second, with $3.7 billion in worldwide weapons sales in 2008, while Russia was third with $3.5 billion in arms sales last year — down considerably from the $10.8 billion in weapons deals signed by Moscow in 2007.

The growth in weapons sales by the United States last year was particularly noticeable against worldwide trends. The value of global arms sales in 2008 was $55.2 billion, a drop of 7.6 percent from 2007 and the lowest total for international weapons agreements since 2005.

Read more.