The World's Biggest-er Arms Dealer

[Virgil Showlion]

Another dark milestone reached under the current US administration, which is simply a perpetuation of that which preceded it. From the Anti Media (bold by me):

It is not an understatement to say Obama’s tears over gun violence are disingenuous considering his administration has enacted a policy of systematically arming the entire world with all manner of warcraft. According to the Department of Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), during his first six years in office, the Obama administration entered into agreements to sell more than $190 billion USD in weaponry worldwide. As the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, William D. Hartung, states, this figure is higher than any U.S. administration since World War II. Perhaps that is why the Nobel secretary has voiced serious regrets about awarding the Peace Prize to the president.

While there are a number of companies who are making an absolute killing from these sales — like Lockheed Martin and Boeing — the fact remains that the U.S. government actively facilitates this industry in more ways than one.

In 2013, the Obama administration loosened controls over military exports so military equipment could be sent to almost any country in the world with little oversight. U.S. companies began to enjoy fewer checks than they had in the past. For example, thanks to the Obama administration, weapons manufacturers can now send military parts to most regions of the world without a license, which makes it easier for companies to extend their market — even to countries that are on the U.N. arms embargo list. This is because, according to Colby Goodman, an arms-control expert with the Open Society Policy Center, once an item is approved for that exemption, there may no longer be any ongoing, country-specific human rights review as had been conducted previously.

One of the linked articles goes into more detail:

Current controls haven’t prevented the U.S. from dominating arms exports up to now: In 2011, the U.S. concluded $66 billion in arms sales agreements, nearly 80 percent of the global market. The State Department denied just one percent of arms export licenses between 2008 and 2010.

...

Spare parts are in high demand from sanctioned countries and groups, which need them to keep old equipment up and running, according to arms control researchers. Indonesia scrambled to keep its C-130s in the air after the U.S. blocked exports for human rights violations in the 1990s. In a report on trade in arms parts, Oxfam noted that by the time of the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, Muammar Qaddafi’s air combat fleet was in dire shape, referred to by one analyst as “the world’s largest military parking lot.” Goodman said Congolese militia members may be using aging arms that the U.S. sold decades ago to the former Zaire.

Pelak says the changes will make enforcement harder by getting rid of part of the paper trail as parts and munitions exit the U.S.: “When you take away that licensing record, you put the investigation overseas.” His office handled dozens of cases each year in which military items had been diverted to prohibited countries. The Government Accountability Office raised concerns last year about Commerce’s enforcement abilities as it takes control of exports that once went through the State Department.

Pres. Obama certainly doesn't deserve all the blame. He has to work inside the framework of the military-industrial complex. At the same time, he was elected in 2008 with the hope that his administration would be an agent of peace, not one that supplied warcraft to the entire world at a scale unprecedented since the last world war and that helped dismantle what few regulations governed its sale.

And what of Ms. Clinton and Mr. Trump? Assuming either candidate was willing to provide a committal answer on the issue, could we believe a word they said? If arms exports thrived under Pres. Obama, the man who championed peace and beguiled the whole world with a message of peace in 2008--arguably the reason why he defeated challenger Sen. McCain--what can the US expect from two candidates with openly militaristic ambitions?

All is not well with the world. These are not times building towards peace and prosperity. Don't get complacent.

[Virgil Showlion]

Aug 18, 2016 7:14:52 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

Well, I must say, I am in complete agreement with you here. Our dirty little secret is that in order to perpetuate our armament industry we are the biggest merchant of death in the world, albeit closely followed by Russia. 

Not a thing to be proud of.  Of course our government would argue that this is the price of peace.  In order to secure "order" in the world, we must have an incredibly strong military presence, and in order to do that we must have an equally strong industry to support it.  I would dispute their argument vehemently.  By arming the rest of the world countries like ourselves and Russia (and to a lesser extent, China, Britain, France and others) make it far more unstable in the end. 

Not a thing to be proud of at all. 

Is the US "closely followed by Russia" though?

The ProPublica article claims in 2011 the US controlled 80% of the global arms market. It was probably an exceptionally good year, but even if Russia made up the full remaining 20%, that's a 4:1 ratio.

You know who should be outraged about this? US military families and their outspoken supporters. These are going to be the guns, tanks, helicopters, etc. chewing through US soldiers in the coming decades. They're the goods that are going to make intervention in various parts of the world "necessary".

Where is the press?

[Virgil Showlion]

Aug 18, 2016 7:39:33 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

Is the US "closely followed by Russia" though?



Yes, according to several sources I looked at.  I was surprised, because France used to have a much greater share than they do today.  Good for them. 

It appears the answer depends heavily on what is and isn't included in "arms".

This source puts the US at 33% of the global market followed by Russia at 25%. I suppose it's fair to call that "closely". RT indicates that US arms sales surged 23% between 2010 and 2014, while Russia's more than kept up with a surge of 37%. China was the "big winner" with a 143% increase.

I don't know how these politicians can go on TV, keep a straight face, and claim the world is more peaceful than it's ever been. Not only is the statement objectively false, even if we give them the benefit of the doubt by assuming they mean "the world is becoming more peaceful", the claim is still a bald-faced lie. It's not the post-cold-war 1980's, 1990's, and early 2000's anymore, and the regression accelerated in 2007. This was all before the meltdown in Venezuela, the European migrant crisis, the Ukraine and Crimea, the Chinese buildup in the South China Sea, Iran flouting the nuclear agreement, Pres. Erdogan's cementing power in Turkey, ...

Do they actually believe their own rhetoric? Maybe they believe nobody has actually looked at statistics on armed conflict, arms sales, military buildup, or mortality in more than a decade and that the world is better off taking comfort in a lie.

[mroped]

And US being the biggest arms dealer in the world is news how exactly?
That is a very well known fact!
Nobody in this world, no country in this world has that many weapon/guns makers.
Moreover, for the most advanced weaponry the government itself pays for the development of it. And I'm not talking about pistols and rifles.

[dondub]

When wasn't the US the world's largest purveyor of weaponry.

[djAdvocate]

who did he beat?  Bush?
who did Bush beat?  Clinton?
who did Clinton beat?  Reagan?
who did Reagan beat?...........

if so, i am seeing a trend.

[Virgil Showlion]

Aug 18, 2016 9:12:06 GMT -5 mroped said:

And US being the biggest arms dealer in the world is news how exactly?
That is a very well known fact!
Nobody in this world, no country in this world has that many weapon/guns makers.
Moreover, for the most advanced weaponry the government itself pays for the development of it. And I'm not talking about pistols and rifles.

It's not something to be proud of. Neither is the fact that sales are still ramping up year after year.

[dondub]

Who is proud of it? Frankly, it has disgusted me for as long as I can remember. I would much prefer plowshares and butter.

[mmhmm]

Aug 18, 2016 12:23:19 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Aug 18, 2016 9:12:06 GMT -5 mroped said:

And US being the biggest arms dealer in the world is news how exactly?
That is a very well known fact!
Nobody in this world, no country in this world has that many weapon/guns makers.
Moreover, for the most advanced weaponry the government itself pays for the development of it. And I'm not talking about pistols and rifles.

It's not something to be proud of. Neither is the fact that sales are still ramping up year after year.

I don't read an expression of pride into the post of mroped. I don't think there are many of us who are proud of being the weapons factory of the world. I'm certainly not. In fact, it disgusts me.