The United States is the single largest exporter of large conventional weapons in the world.

[Toucano]

Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.



http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/03/global_arms_exports?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/dc/presentarms

The volume of such exports rose by almost 25% compared with 2001-05.

[defendandprotect]

1. USA = Global Gun Runners -- !!

[Mimosa]

2. These type topics get totally ignored. BUT THIS ONE WON'T IF I CAN HELP IT.

Two days ago I'd posted the following to ZERO responses:

"Do you have any money to invest? Smart investors know a sure bet. :) America had ceded making stupid things like TVs, clothing, textiles, ceramics, tools, et cetera to China, India and other countries but we kept the manufacture of 'good stuff' right here at home.'We had to stop making tools, household goods, and 'stuff' because arms are more profitable. And if we don't keep conflicts stirred up, then our arms industry won't thrive."

Excerpt:

Thriving arms industry

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20110227a2.htm ...

Global arms sales reached new heights, according to a recent report by a think tank in Sweden. Despite the global recession, the sales, both domestic and exports, of the world's most profitable arms-producing companies increased by nearly $15 billion from 2008 to 2009, reaching a total $400 billion in arms sales throughout the world — the highest amount ever. Other estimates put that figure as high as $1 trillion.

The report from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that the arms industry is thriving despite the ongoing global economic recession. American company Lockheed Martin took first place with $33.4 billion in arms sales, followed by British BAE Systems at $33.3 billion. Even as the recession hangs on in every country, more and more is still spent on the military.

Companies in the United States make up nearly half of world sales, according to the SIPRI report, with 45 of the top 100 arms-producing companies based there. Recently Russian companies have been a close second, though its figures, like those of the seventh-largest arms producer, China, are hard to verify.

In nearly every region of the world, arms-producing companies, many of them also exporters, have increased their sales year on year. The fastest-growing expenditures have been in Asia.

[Toucano]

3. Thank you. I don't know why people don't connect the dots.

I've never heard a G-8 leader speak about the need to eliminate and reduce weapons production.

We've got factories running on oil, that build weapons used to secure the oil that fuels the factories, that build the weapons...

[readmoreoften]

4. +10000

[Old and In the Way]

5. This is why I think we have a moral obligation to intervene in situations like Libya.

We sell these arms worldwide ostensibly as self-defense weapons for individual countries to protect themselves. But when these same weapon systems are pointed inward and used to suppress the citizens by a criminal dictator, I have a hard time supporting a US policy that says we shouldn't get involved. We got involved when we did the weapons deal.

[Toucano]

That's not quite the reaction I have to this news.

The moral obligation would seem to be something akin to "stop making and selling things that people use to kill each other with."

"Intervening" in the conflict our little "employment boosters" create seems to be the cart in front of the horse.

Make things that help humanity, not things that increase the suffering.

[Adsos Letter]

12. I thought Libya purchased their land-based weaponry from Soviet/Russian/Eastern Bloc nations

and their aircraft from France and the old Soviet Union?

Not arguing with your point about our weapons exports; we seriously need to re-prioritize our economy, and our international stance.

Just not sure how this applies, specifically, to Libya.

[Old and In the Way]

14. You may be, in fact, correct with regards to Libya.

I'd certainly like to see the UN become pro-active in addressing the growing problem of unrestricted weapons technology sales that creates a race for each country to spend more and more on 'defense'. Somehow, these weapon manufacturers need to be held accountable for reckless selling decisions that make it easier for tyrants to use these weapons to control their civilian populations.

My only point is that if we want to become isolationist with regards to getting involved in the internal civil wars of other nations, that position would be better served if we weren't a primary enabler of undemocratic regimes to maintain their control because of our weapon export sales. If we have to spend taxpayer money to neutralize the effects of these sales, we ought to pass that cost back to the arms manufacturers who sold and profited from those weapon sales in the first place. Otherwise, there's a positive incentive to continue business as usual. Privatize the profits and socialize the risks.

[Liquorice]

6. I would assume at least some of the reason

we export so many weapons is because we give so many countries billions in military aid and require them to spend the (taxpayer) money at US weapons manufacturers. So it's basically a way of subsidizing the
American weapons manufacturing industry. I always get mad when I think about that suspicious little arrangement. There is a lot of room for major corruption with that kind of thing going on.

[Toucano]

8. Isn't there always someone making sure those stockpiles get used?

"Thank you, come again"

"Always Low Prices. Always"

[Modern_Matthew]

7. Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOOF5e5F6gI

[Toucano]

10. +1

Verified: not a Rickroll. :hi:

[Paradoxical]

9. Foreign armies either operate off of Soviet surplus or American supplied defense technology.

You either fly Mig's or F-16s

You either use AK-47s or M4s.

7.62 or 5.56 mm full metal jacket


There are very few exceptions to that rule. We are that good at exporting death.

[BrightKnight]

11. ...and we control the spare parts. - n/t

[quaker bill]

13. Yes and

the bulk of our aid to foriegn countries goes to subsidize these purchases.

[Toucano]

15. kick n/t