MAKING
PEACE  Understanding
war |
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Since
1960 at least 10,700,000 people have died in 65 wars fought
on the territory
of 49 countries - a rate of 1,330 war dead every day for
the past 22 years. |
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History’s
most costly arms race is making the world poorer, not safer. Here
are some examples of the resources used by the war machine:
| MONEY |
Global
military spending, now running atwell over $1 million per minute,
topped the $600 billion mark in 1981 - equivalent to $110 for every
man, woman and child on earth. (By comparison, only 6 cents per
capita were spent on international peace- keeping efforts.) Worldwide
military expenditure averages $19,300 per soldier - compared with
public education expenditure of $380 per school-age child.
Developing
countries have more than trebled theirshare of global military spending
during the past two decades.
Source:
Sivard, World Military and Social Expenditure 1982
*Other
developed countries incude China, Japan. Israel and South Africa
Source:
Sanger, Sate and Sound, 1982
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| PEOPLE |
•
500,000 scientists researching military projects
•
5 million civilians working in industrial jobs indirectly supported
by military expenditure
•
5 million civilians civilians producing weapons and other military
equipment
•
4 million civilians working in government defence departments
•
10 million people in para-military forces (police, frontier guards
etc)
•
26
million people enlisted in regular armed forces
This
adds up to: 49.5 million people engaged in military activities worldwide.
Source:
UN, Disarmament and Development, 1982
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| RAW
MATERIALS |
The military machine consumes large slices of the worlds raw
materials:
•
5-6 per cent of oil consumption
•
6-7 per cent of aluminium nickel and zinc
•
11 per cent of copper
Military
consumption of aluminium, copper, nickel and platinum is greater
than the demand for those minerals for all purposes in the whole
of Africa, Asia (including China) and Latin America.
Source:
UN, Disarmament and Development, 1982
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| RESEARCH |
Military
objectives are by far the single most important purpose of research
and development One in everyfive scientists worldwide is engaged
in militarywork In 1980 global expenditure on military
research
was a staggering $35 billion - a quarter of the world total of$1
50 billion and more than the tote/amount spent on energy, health,
pollution control and agriculture.
The
average military product is 20 times as research-intensive as the
average civil product Countries investing heavily in military research
have lower rates of industrial growth than those concentrating on
civil research.
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| TRADE |
The
growth of military exports to Third World countries has far outstripped
the growth of total world trade since 1970.
Third
World countries now accountfortwo thirds of the international arms
trade,which was worth $36 billion in 1981.
In
the period 1979-81 the Soviet Union overtook the United States as
the leading exporter of major weapons, but the US has more customers
67 countries compared with the Russians' 28. Other major arms exporters
include France, Italy and the UK. Some Third World countries such
as Brazil and Israel have also started exporting domestically-produced
weapons.
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