Global Military Spending Nearly $1.7T Amid Mideast Conflicts

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

Apr 5, 1:10 AM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Global military spending rose in 2015 to nearly $1.7 trillion, the first increase in several years, driven by conflicts including the battle against the Islamic State group, the Saudi-led war in Yemen and fears about Iran, a report released Tuesday shows.

The study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute also noted that the Chinese expansion in the South China Sea and Russia's annexation of Crimea and support of Ukrainian separatists also accounted for nudging spending up 1 percent in real terms, compared to 2014.

For weapons manufacturers, the nonstop pace of airstrikes targeting Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, as well as Saudi-led bombing of Yemen's Shiite rebels and their allies, means billions of dollars more in sales.

But activists question continued U.S. arms deals to Saudi Arabia as its Yemen campaign has killed civilians, while American fighter jet sales to both emerging military buyer Qatar and longtime ally Kuwait appear stalled.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_GLOBAL_MILITARY_SPENDING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-04-05-01-10-58

[Socal31]

1. What's 1,700,000,000,000.00 between friends?

[malthaussen]

2. And 1.6 trillion of it is us.

Okay, I exaggerate a little.

-- Mal

[sofa king]

3. Just imagine if that had been put into solving the water crisis.

Imagine if the Middle East could be irrigated and the forests re-grown?

Then we'd be fighting in the shade.