Major wars have historically followed major economic depressions. The logic has been-We've tried everything else - let the military industrial complex get the economy humming again. Some countries like Russia, the USA, the UK and China rely on it in both war time and peace time.
With that thought in mind, it’s interesting to take note of what former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari said today in accepting the Nobel peace prize in Oslo.
"Peace is a question of will. Wars and conflicts are not inevitable," he said, arguing that they are caused by people who have something to gain from them. "All conflicts can be settled."
....well they can be, but do the vested interests want them to be settled?
"Ahtisaari was modest about the role of mediators in ending conflicts, saying only the parties themselves could end bloodshed. "The only people that can make peace are the parties to the conflict," he said. He said his own experience as a child, when his hometown in Finland became part of the Soviet Union under a "spheres-of-influence" agreement between German leader Adolf Hitler and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, had influenced his determination to work towards peace." Walter Derzko
|
Country |
2006 Total Arms Exports1 |
|
USA |
$14,008m |
|
Russia |
$5,800m |
|
UK |
$3,300m |
|
Germany |
$1,000m |
|
China |
$700m |
|
Canada |
$600m |
|
France |
$400m |
|
Netherlands |
$300m |
|
Israel |
$200m |
|
Spain |
$200m |
|
Sweden |
$200m |
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