On the war path (4). Comparing defence expenditure

This article is a translation of "Op oorlogspad (4). Defensieuitgaven vergeleken"

In an earlier blog Jan Schaake demonstrated how a Russian threat is being inflated by contrasting the rise of Russian defence expenditure with the slight decline of the European NATO countries’ spending, whilst withholding the absolute figures. On the map below, taken from the atlas of the Bank of America, ‘Transforming World’, one can again see how overwhelming the military effort of the US and NATO is in comparison with the rest of the world (in billions of dollars). Only China can remotely come near that level. 

On the map it shows that France and Germany alone already have higher military expenditure than Russia, let alone if we take the entire NATO together, and after alll that is why it is an ‘alliance’. Add to this that the US has 800 (eight hundred) military bases spread around the world . Another measure which no other country can even remotely compared with. So once again, should we call for higher defence expenditure? That is putting the world upside down!

Kees van der Pijl