{"id":198373,"date":"2021-11-01T12:00:53","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T12:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=198373"},"modified":"2021-10-27T04:09:09","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T03:09:09","slug":"disarmament-week-but-hundreds-of-nukes-can-be-launched-within-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2021\/11\/disarmament-week-but-hundreds-of-nukes-can-be-launched-within-minutes\/","title":{"rendered":"Disarmament Week? But Hundreds of Nukes Can Be Launched within Minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"

25 Oct 2021 – <\/em>Hadn\u2019t it been so worrisome, it would be ironic to hear that humanity is to mark\u00a0 the \u00a0World Disarmament Week<\/a> (Oct 24 to 30, 2021) barely six months after learning that the world\u2019s biggest military powers had spent last year some 2,000,000,000,000 US dollars on killing machines.<\/p>\n

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World military spending rose to almost two trillion dollars in 2020, an increase of 2.6 percent in real terms from 2019. Credit: UN Photo\/Rick Bajornas<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

And that the world\u2019s nuclear arms arsenal is stuffed with some 150 atomic weapons, hundreds of which can be launched in just minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also that while the Nobel Peace Laureate, World Food Programme<\/a>, has recently celebrated that the European Union \u2013which comprises many of those military powers\u2013 provided just 2.5 million euro in humanitarian aid to support vulnerable refugees in Tanzania.<\/p>\n

Or that while Afghanistan teeters on the brink of universal poverty and as much as 97% of Afghans could plunge into poverty by mid 2022, the International Organisation for Migration<\/a> appealed last August for 24 million US dollars, which outlines immediate funding requirements in order to respond to pressing humanitarian needs in this Asian, war-torn country which suffered 20 years of military operations by the largest military spender powers.<\/p>\n

What are all these weapons for?<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

In addition to national security arguments, part of such huge stockpiles of weapons has been used by the world\u2019s largest military spenders, in ongoing wars on Afghanistan, Irak, Syria, Yemen, and Libya.<\/p>\n

Another portion is being sold or trafficked to so-called \u2018insurgent\u2019 or \u2018rebel\u2019 groups, fuelling regional and local armed conflicts in at least a dozen of countries, including DR Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Nigeria, among others.<\/p>\n

Who spends the most?<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

But let\u2019s go to some of the key findings included in last April\u2019s report by the prestigious, independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament: the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)<\/a>:<\/p>\n