This year, the IPB Global Day(s) of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) includes the period from today, April 14, to May 3rd, under the slogan: “Reducing 10% of military assets will help saving our planet. Take action!”
This year’s Global Day/GDAMS take place in a particular context. We are increasingly immersed in a World that is based on a divisive rhetoric, hate speeches, and xenophobic thinking. The consequence is a dominant Worldview insisting on a separation between good and evil and supporting on-going military campaigns – and the increased budgets to support them.
The world is becoming crazy. Military spending in 2016 amounted to $1.68 trillion. Many governments are planning increases in military budgets together with cuts in health, education and development cooperation. The news on military budget increase proposals in the U.S. is alarming: the Congress recently approved a $ 165 billion increase in military spending over a two year period. Meanwhile, many other states like Australia, New Zealand, France, UK, Germany, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Spain, Italy and others are following U.S. guidelines without any discussion. Wars in Syria and Yemen are being fuelled by the arms trade while North Korea is being used to justify a new arms race. Japan’s Prime Minister Abe is attempting to amend the war-renouncing Article 9 of their constitution. The European Union will (for the first time in its history) invest money in the near future to develop new weapon systems. This may also trigger an arms race in regions like Africa and Middle East, where significant European exports are directed. We are witnessing massive increases in military spending (including on nuclear weapons, in spite of the Ban Treaty) by the great powers, increasing the danger of disastrous wars.
