[rael-science] [with Rael's comment] Russia overtakes UK and France in global arms spending league table

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The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org   
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RAEL'S COMMENT: Of course, American imperialist warmongers will find this "alarming," notwithstanding that Russia's military budget is only 10 percent of the USA's.

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/17/russia-overtakes-uk-france-arms

Russia overtakes UK and France in global arms spending league table

Russia becomes third biggest spender after US and China as global spending on arms totals more than $1.7tn

• Richard Norton-Taylor
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 April 2012

A tank moves along Red Square during a military parade: Russia spent nearly $72bn on arms in 2011. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

Global spending on weapons totals more than $1.7tn (£1tn), and Russia has overtaken Britain and France to take third place in the world league table, according to the latest figures released by a leading research body on Tuesday.

While military expenditure fell last year in most western countries, including the US, which is facing serious budget deficits, Russia and China have continued to increase significantly their spending on weapons – by more than 9% and 6% respectively last year.

While the US remains by far the biggest military spender, with a defence budget amounting to $711bn last year, it is followed by China, which in 2011 spent an estimated $143bn on its armed forces, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). China has increased its military spending by 170% in real terms since 2002, it says.

Russia spent nearly $72bn on arms last year, overtaking Britain ($62.7bn) and France ($62.5bn) according to Sipri.

It notes that Russia is planning further increases in its military spending, with draft budgets showing a 53% rise in real terms up to 2014.

However, Sipri adds that many analysts are doubtful whether the industry will be able to deliver on such ambitious plans after decades of stagnation following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

China's increased military spending has caused concern among its neighbours, as well as the dominant Pacific power, the US. The recent announcement of a US "pivot" towards Asia is in part a response to such concerns, Sipri says.

It adds: "China's extensive and growing trade relations with the countries in its neighbourhood have been marred by disputes – eg the border dispute with India, a dispute over the Senkaku (Diaoyu) islands with Japan, and contested maritime borders with several nations in the South China Sea – all of which have led to increased tensions."

However, the report says talk of an "arms race" in the region may be premature, as both data and analysis reveal a mixed pattern of trends in military expenditure and arms acquisition, with China far from the only driving factor.

Two countries where concerns over China do appear to have contributed to increased spending are India and Vietnam. India has increased military spending by 66% since 2002. While both internal conflicts and the long-running dispute with Pakistan remain key issues, India in many ways sees China as a rival for regional power.

Vietnam has increased military spending by 82% since 2003, and has invested heavily in its navy in recent years, partly due to tensions with China in the South China Sea. But the military spending of both India and Vietnam fell in real terms in 2011.

Middle East countries continued to increase their military budgets while Algeria – concerned about the Arab spring and revolutions in Tunisia and Libya – increased its military spending last year by a massive 40%.

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WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic, anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
 
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history, 
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
 
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
 
Rael
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