Watched the 2002 movie, called The Gathering Storm last night with Albert Finney playing the role of Churchill between the years of 1934 and 1940.  It was an excellent movie, showing a somewhat older man rising again, after much ridicule and somewhat from the ashes.  I recommend it very highly if you have not seen it before.  I think it is an HBO movie (free on demand if you have HBO) that i just happened to come across while looking into the background of one of the actors (not Finney) who was in it.

As i watched it, I could not help but think about our current times and what seems like a "gathering storm" brewing between the U.S. and China.  As Churchill raged in the movie, warning of Germany's military build-up, most of Britain was "hoping" for peace.  At the time, Germany was spending about four times as much as Britain on its military.

The movie made me want to investigate the current military spending in the world.  For some reason i had been under the impression that the U.S. spent more on military spending than the combined total from the rest of the world. 

Not true.  Based upon 2022 figures, the U.S. only spends more than the combined total from the next nine largest military spending countries, which includes China, India, UK, Russia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and South Korea.  U.S. spending around $800 billion, and the total from the next nine coming in about $777 billion (source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)

What is quite remarkable, however, is the evolution of China’s defense outlays in comparison to those of the other nations. Its defense spending in the early 1990s was lower than that of the U.K. and Russia, but rose steadily in the 2000s to exceed all other nations’ outlays except that of the U.S..  From a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, i discovered that the U.S. had by far the largest military budget at $767.8 billion in 2021, but China’s outlay was also quite large at $270 billion. 

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So, what does the above tell us?  Considering that the above only represents "annual numbers", one would think that the overall cumulative effect of the United States military spending over the last twenty-years would surely make it the most dominant and capable military force in the world--by far.

Of course, one must keep in mind that data and figures can sometime mislead.  The U.S. also spends about two or three times more on health care than any other country in the world--yet health care statistics show the U.S. lagging behind other countries--so go figure.

But just the same, even assuming total incompetence in managing funds, one would still have to believe the military capabilities of the U.S. should outshine those of any other country (or combination of countries) that threaten the U.S.'s march toward "world peace".

Considering the U.S. dominance in "technology" and it's overwhelming spending on its military capabilities, i don't think i would want to risk getting in an argument with them.  But that is me.  

Just the same, there is a "gathering storm" brewing.  China seems to have aspirations inconsistent with any kind of world peace movement.  Unlike the U.S. who generally thinks of military defense in exactly those terms--defense rather than offense--China seems to have its eye on military offense rather than military defense.  

So, what is my point?  My point is this: Now is the time to "strike for peace" before things get carried away.  War brings nothing but death and destruction, whereas peace offers the world a chance to finally get its act together.  Let's not blow this once in a lifetime chance for "world peace".

We have another "gathering storm" brewing that might even be more important than military buildups to manage--and that storm has been labeled "climate change".  Yes, we can walk and chew gum at the same time--but wouldn't it seem better to seek peace, reduce military expenditures worldwide, and use the funds for more important reasons that actually bring good rather than destruction.

Globanomics thinks so.