A Perfect Little Hell

According to the NYT the U.S. was responsible for over two thirds of all armaments sales in 2008. One can only surmise that there is a connection between the instability the U.S. has been causing around the world ever since WWII (well before that actually but it really got going after the “good war”) and the huge amount of sales made by U.S. arms manufacturers which was estimated at 37.8 billion dollars for 2008. For comparison Italy came in second place with only 3.7 billion. Those socialists in France were responsible for 2.5 billion but you get the idea, the U.S. is like major league big-time, the biggest by far when it comes to purveying death on the world market.

On the flip-side it’s even sadder when you look at who the customers are -- developing countries.

Link

The study found that the larger arms deals concluded by the United States with developing nations last year included a $6.5 billion air defense system for the United Arab Emirates, a $2.1 billion jet fighter deal with Morocco and a $2 billion attack helicopter agreement with Taiwan. Other large weapons agreements were reached between the United States and India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea and Brazil.

Russia was far behind in 2008 with $3.3 billion in weapons sales to the developing world, about 7.8 percent of all such agreements. The report says that while Russia continues to have China and India as its main weapons clients, Russia’s new focus is on arms sales to Latin American nations, in particular to Venezuela.

I take special note in the list of U.S. clients where I see Iraq as one of them. What a coincidence. India is a nation with rampant poverty and one can’t help imagine that India has better ways of spending money other than on arms. And what is Morocco going to do with a 2 billion dollar jet fighter, take on China? It’s interesting how this reveals that national leaders everywhere have little interest in their own people. The only people benefiting are the arms dealers and the politicians and everyone else suffers. You have to wonder why people continue to make deities out of national leaders, a phenomenon that is especially disturbing here in the States. The result of this mindless trust in leaders is endless war and conflict.

Congratulations to the U.S. for helping to make the world a perfect little hell, especially for the weak and the defenseless. The U.S. doesn’t stand for anything, it doesn’t stand for shit. And a society that can’t even take care of its elderly and sick isn’t worth spit.