International security and humanitarian priorities

As global tensions escalate, this article explores the rise in spending on nuclear weapons and its implications for international security and humanitarian priorities.

Nuclear weapons, humanity’s most dangerous invention, are back in our minds and hearts. Interest and fear about the risk of their use have increased worldwide, especially after the recent wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The topic has been amplified to the public by the blockbuster movie OppenheimerTHE Fallout TV Showand the best-selling book Nuclear War: A Scenario.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres posted on Xin March of this year, “Nuclear war must never be started, because it can never be won. I have urged the Security Council to state clearly that it is unacceptable to live with the existential threat of nuclear weapons and to lead the way towards a world free of these instruments of annihilation..”

The world as we know it seems to be at a turning point. inflection We have reached a point where the decision is to make more war or… to make peace. Do we now have more reason to fear war?

Increased spending in 2023

After the end of the Cold War, spending on nuclear weapons remained stablebut finally This year we saw a further increase, led by the United States, which spent more than all other nuclear powers combined, according to a recently published report by I CAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons).

There is an exclusive club of only nine countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Israel, Pakistan, India, China and North Korea): the Nuclear Powers Club. Even if we are talking about only nine countries, the amount of money spent on the nuclear weapons industry is incredible. The report watch quantities of $91.4 billion per year ($250 million per day) spent in 2023 alone, up 13% from the previous year.

This means that $2,898 per second is spent on nuclear weapons. The breakdown by state is led by the United States with $51.5. China overtook Russia as the second largest spender with $11.9, and Russia came in third with $8.3 billion. The United Kingdom spent $8.1 billion (a 17.1% increase over the previous year) on nuclear weapons. All of these huge sums are taxpayers' money. However, There are 100 countries that have joined the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

All the countries mentioned aboveaccording to Susi Snyder of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (in a meeting for DW), are spending money to modernize their arsenal: new planesnew submarines and new missile systems to send nuclear weapons wherever they want. All this money is spent on weapons that these countries hope to and should never use. In the United States, according to Susi Snyder, some companies are making huge profits building weapons of mass destruction. above-mentioned report is talking about companies that have contracts for the next few decades worth more than $387 billion.

Nuclear weapons are a commercial product that needs publicity, and the above-mentioned report shows that the nuclear Arms producers spent $118 million lobbying the U.S. and French governments alone.

Stockholm International Peace Institute also launched on June 17 their annual report referring to the state of armaments, disarmament and international security. Its director, Dan Smith, said: “As the total number of nuclear warheads in the world continues to decline as Cold War-era weapons are gradually dismantled, we are unfortunately seeing an annual increase in the number of operational nuclear warheads. This trend appears set to continue and accelerate in the years to come and is extremely concerning..'

A new nuclear race: why is it happening?

All nuclear powers consider these expenditures essential for their security. This is not a trend that is likely to diminish in the coming years. The nine players are pointing fingers at each other. for the reason They have increased their spending. Another reason is that the recent conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have pushed the nuclear club countries to want to replace or modernize their nuclear an arsenal of weapons to prepare for a possible escalation.

The United States collectively owns nearly 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons

Concerns about transparency and proximity

Russia and the United States collectively own nearly 90 percent of the world's nuclear weaponsaccording to SIPRI ReportTheir military stockpiles of usable warheads remained stable in 2023, although Russia has deployed approximately 36 additional warheads with its operational forces since January 2023. Transparency regarding the two countries' nuclear arsenals declined following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and discussions over nuclear-sharing agreements have gained prominence.

In 2023, there were several public statements about the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, although there is no definitive visual evidence of this deployment. In addition to their active military stockpiles, Russia and the United States each have over 1,200 nuclear warheads that have been decommissioned and are in the process of being dismantled.

Weapons or Food? Where is our Humanity?

To give you some perspective on the issue, by comparison, The United Nations World Food Programmea program aimed at ending world hunger, has raised only $8.3 billion in 2023, and has 120 participating countries. So why should we Really cares more about power or humanity?

Stay aware

First of all, as we aim has With this article, we, the public, must become more aware and attentive to how our tax money is used. Our votes in July can also make a difference.

There are also NGOs and various forums that advocate for the elimination of nuclear weapons, one of them being the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmamentwhich offers various ways to contribute.

The Vienna Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation is another respected forum that promotes international peace and security through research, dialogue and capacity building on non-proliferation. Its valuable research and analysis has provided concrete policy recommendations.

Conclusions on global nuclear weapons spending

Global spending on new nuclear weapons is leading to a return to the nuclear arms race and, unfortunately, we may be heading for a new one. global competition (or threat) of potential mutual destruction. We must all remain cautious because these weapons, as we know from our history, can cause enormous harm to civilians over generations.

Hunger, climate change or agreeing on the consequences of the use of AI (artificial intelligence) should be among our global priorities rather than weapons that could end our world.

This article was written and contributed by Dr Alina Vaduva and Professor Kirk Chang