The Business of Arms Sales

Arms sale creates more conflict and war than it can prevent.

War is not just the presence of conflict by leaders, terrorists and other activist organizations, in-country, cross-country and a multi-nation aggression. It is likewise generated by sheer corporate greed as well by those business whose means of earning profit is nothing but sell arms to those who needs it. Never mind if kills humanity as long as it earns profit.

Conflict and wars are or can be instigated by countries whose national economic policy includes creating an industry that depends on killing humanity because they believe that conflict and war creates economic opportunities.

Arms sales worldwide is a whopping $29.16 billion dollar industry in 2003 alone or about P1.5 trillion pesos - bigger than national budget of the Philippines. That’s how big this industry is. The United States lead in the arms sales with $14.5 billion dollars in 2003 followed by the Russia with $5.9 billion and Germany with $1.4 billion. The rest comes from other arms exporting countries in ranking order such as France, Italy, China and Great Britain among others.

Armament exports includes military aircrafts, naval ships and seacrafts, missiles, tanks, rifles, military gadgets including communications equipments. Nuclear weapons and technology is prohibited for export. The limit on export of the nuclear technology forced so many countries to develop their own. This worries much the superpowers such the United States. Among developing countries which are now capable of producing nuclear arms are Pakistan and China.

In addition to arms sales, developed nations also provide export for spare parts, ammunitions, ordnance, training and support services.

Developing nations in Asia are relatively making increases in arms purchases. Asian countries such as United Arab Emirates lead among importing countries which made purchases from 1996-2003 a whopping total of $15.7 billion. This is followed by China with $13.6, Israel with $9.9 billion, Saudi Arabia with $9.4, South Korea with $8.8 billion, Malaysia with $5 billion and Pakistan with 3.8 billion.

Only South Africa entered in the column of big importing mostly Asian countries with $5.3 billion dollars in arms purchases.

It is believed that countries in the Middle East are among the biggest spender for arms stockpile. Endless border conflict is the major cause for armament stockpile preparing each country for war while terroristic and activist organizations have made their own arms stockpiles even with complicity of their own government and foreign superpowers.

In the rest of Asia such the Philippines, rebel groups have made their arms acquisitions uncontrolled despite government effort. It is widely believed that rebel groups may have acquired these arms through the back doors in Mindanao involving a third country as a shipment point.

Real Social Justice

Peace is not just the absence of conflict; it requires the presence of justice!

Where there is poverty and hunger, justice would remain elusive, mainly because of the glaring inequality of life caused by the continously widening gap between the rich and the poor. To achieve a genuinely lasting peace, at the very least, this gap should be narrowed and the poorest among us should simply live in modest life.

For me, poverty is more than the statistics of economics but a problem of relationships where members of our society need to see the importance of relating one another. That the affluent members of our society have to feel and demonstrate charity and for our policymakers to think with common sense the real needs of our people and communities.

Out of this genuine concern for the needy, it would spare them the indignity of having to beg for help, or worse, turn to crime. On a more realistic approach, churning out practical national policies to better the lives in the rural areas that would lead to improving the delivery of basic services would mean a lot of things.

In reaching out, we need to strive to provide not just money but the principle of teaching a man how to catch fish through programs and projects that would empower them economically. Therefore, we must not encourage dole-outs as it will encourage laziness and further diminish the self-worth of individuals.