The move will certainly impede our efforts to break the vicious cycle of poverty and militarism,'' he said. A huge amount of American taxpayers' money goes to support this immoral weapons trade,'' he continued. Arias went on to urge the United States to support an international code of conduct on arms transfers. This initiative, which is being promoted by a commission of 17 Nobel Peace laureates, would ensure that weapons are not sold to countries that violate human rights or suppress democracy,'' he added. Trouble is, Nobel Peace laureates don't contribute millions to American politicians' campaign war chests.
Defense contractors do.
Dave Zweifel is the editor of The Capital Times. In developed countries, governments spend 10 times more on their military ''defense'' than on development aid to the poorer nations. Surely the continued arms trade represents one of the most pervasive forms of corruption. Meanwhile, the weapons often become tools to thwart democratic processes and oppress the people. The nations that supply the majority of the world's conventional arms deliveries are none other than the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.