When it comes to trade in the tools of death and destruction, no one tops the United States of America.
In April of this year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published its annual analysis of trends in global arms sales and the winner as always was the U.S. of A. Between 2016 and 2020, this country accounted for 37% of total international weapons deliveries, nearly twice the level of its closest rival, Russia, and more than six times that of Washington’s threat du jour, China.
Sadly, this was no surprise to arms-trade analysts. The U.S. has held that top spot for 28 of the past 30 years, posting massive sales numbers regardless of which party held power in the White House or Congress. This is, of course, the definition of good news for weapons contractors like Boeing, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin, even if it’s bad news for so many of the rest of us, especially those who suffer from the use of those arms by militaries in places like Saudi Arabi
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Israel’s latest attack on Gaza with a death toll of over 200 Palestinians so far, including more than 60 children has once again raised the question of the US role in enabling Israeli killings of civilians. But while it is well-known that the United States is a major aid supplier to Israel, the degree to which the Israeli military relies on US planes, bombs, and missiles is not fully appreciated.
How U S Taxpayers Are Invested in the Palestine-Israel Conflict prospect.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from prospect.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A Plan To Reform U.S. Security Assistance Getty/Pete Kiehart
A Ukrainian soldier shakes hands with one of his instructors after taking part in a Combat Lifesaver Course at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center near Yavoriv, Ukraine, on April 22, 2015.
Sam Hananel
Introduction and summary
U.S. security assistance is broken and in need of an overhaul. Over the past two decades, the bureaucratic system developed to deliver billions of dollars of military aid to partner nations has evolved and expanded not by design but as the result of a series of ad hoc legislative and policy changes. Though the U.S. Department of State was initially in charge of security assistance policy and accounts, since 9/11, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has established a separate, well-funded security assistance bureaucracy at the Pentagon. This has inhibited effective congressional oversight, harmed coordination between diplomacy and defense, and contributed to the growing militar