Weapons Insanity

Published in Neues Deutschland
(Germany) on 27 June 2009
by Olaf Standke (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Ron Argentati. Edited by .
The U.S. House of Representatives in Washington intends to blow $680 million on the U.S. military over the next fiscal year. That’s once again more than George W. Bush spent in his last year in office and also more than was ever spent in any year since the end of World War Two. And that doesn’t even include further expenditures for the war in Afghanistan and for nuclear weapons that are already squirreled away in other budgets. This, despite Obama’s promise to do things differently than his predecessor and also despite the fact that Obama’s party controls both houses of Congress. Obama is apparently unable (or perhaps unwilling) to put a stop to the weapons insanity.

Since the year 2000, the world’s last superpower has increased military spending by fifty percent and now accounts for half of all military expenditures globally. This year that will amount to about 4.6 percent of GDP. It gives the military more than $2,000 for every man, woman and child in the country – 100 times more than South Africa spends on its defense. Considering the global economic crisis and the crisis in the United States, that’s sheer madness. Obama has at least promised to look into alleged abuses in military procurement programs. Not even Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants the overpriced F22-A Raptor fighter plane that is, incidentally, totally unsuited to the type of warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan. But a lot of Representatives decided the weapons contractors in their districts needed help and ordered an additional 12 Raptors at a cost of $369 million anyway. It’s as if time stopped back during the Cold War.



Rüstungswahnsinn
Von Olaf Standke
27.06.2009

Weapons Insanity
By Olaf Standke



Über 680 Milliarden Dollar will das Washingtoner Abgeordnetenhaus im nächsten Fiskaljahr durch das US-amerikanische Militär verpulvern lassen. Das ist erneut mehr als im letzten Amtsjahr von George W. Bush und mehr als jemals zuvor seit Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Zumal weitere Posten – etwa für den Afghanistan-Krieg oder die Atomwaffenarsenale – noch in anderen Haushaltstiteln verborgen werden. Dabei hatte doch Bushs Nachfolger versprochen, so vieles anders machen. Und die erste Kammer des Parlaments ist auch noch in demokratischer Hand. Doch den Rüstungswahnsinn kann (oder will?) offensichtlich auch Barack Obama nicht beenden.

The U.S. House of Representatives in Washington intends to blow $680 million on the U.S. military over the next fiscal year. That’s once again more than George W. Bush spent in his last year in office and also more than was ever spent in any year since the end of World War Two.

Seit Anfang dieses Jahrtausends ist der Militäretat der letzten Supermacht um rund 50 Prozent gestiegen und macht inzwischen etwa die Hälfte der globalen Rüstungsausgaben aus. In diesem Jahr waren das 4,6 Prozent des Inlandsprodukts. Pro Kopf fließen in den USA jährlich über 2000 Dollar in den Militärbereich – einhundert Mal mehr als in den Staaten Afrikas. Angesichts der Wirtschaftslage weltweit und nicht zuletzt auch in den USA der nackte Wahnsinn. Immerhin hatte Obama wenigstens angekündigt, gegen den Beschaffungsfilz im Pentagon vorzugehen. So will etwa nicht einmal Verteidigungsminister Robert Gates die überteuerten und für die Kriege in Afghanistan und Irak kaum zu gebrauchenden Kampfjets F-22A Rapto. Viele Abgeordnete aber dachten an die Waffenschmieden in ihren Wahlkreisen und bewilligten trotzdem 369 Millionen Dollar zur Anschubfinanzierung für zwölf weitere Maschinen. Als wäre die Zeit im Kalten Krieg stehen geblieben.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Cuba: The Middle East Is on Fire

Germany: NATO Secretary General Showers Trump with Praise: It Seems Rutte Wanted To Keep the Emperor Happy

Thailand: US-China Trade Truce Didn’t Solve Rare Earths Riddle

Australia: What US Intelligence and Leaks Tell Us about ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’

Argentina: Middle East: From Nuclear Agreement to Preventive Attack, Who’s in Control?

Topics

Colombia: The Horsemen of the New Cold War

Australia: Australia Is Far from Its Own Zohran Mamdani Moment. Here’s Why

Canada: How Ottawa Gift-Wrapped our Dairy Sector for Trump

Canada: New York Swoons over an American Justin Trudeau

Germany: Europe Bending the Knee to Trump

Germany: NATO Secretary General Showers Trump with Praise: It Seems Rutte Wanted To Keep the Emperor Happy

China: US Chip Restrictions Backfiring

China: US Visa Policy Policing Students

Related Articles

Germany: Can Donald Trump Be Convinced To Remain Engaged in Europe?

Germany: Friedrich Merz’s Visit to Trump Succeeded because It Didn’t Fail

Germany: Horror Show in Oval Office at Meeting of Merz and Trump

Germany: Trump’s Tariff Policy: ‘Dealmaker’ under Pressure

Germany: Trump for the Charlemagne Prize!