At $716 Billion, the US Military Budget Is Bigger Than Those of 144 Countries Combined and Largest Contributor to Climate Change

Human Wrongs Watch By Antonio C. S. Rosa | Editor – TRANSCEND Media Service*

“State sovereignty is a goner. Bankism and Military Capitalism rule the world in all respects now.
“Militaries are the ultimate manifestation of direct, structural and cultural violence—a cancer that must be extirpated from humanity.”

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• Imperialism: A policy or ideology of extending a country’s power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or any other means.
• Neocolonialism: The use of economic, political, cultural, military or other pressures to control or influence other countries, especially former dependencies and economically-dependent, less powerful countries.
• Neoliberalism: The 20th-century resurgence of 19th-century ideas associated with laissez-faire economic liberalism and free-market capitalism. It shares many attributes with other concepts that have contested meanings, including democracy.
• Fascism: A form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of domestic or external opposition backed by an overwhelming military, and strong regimentation of society and of the economy.

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It’s no coincidence that US military emissions tend to be overlooked in climate change studies:

*The US Military Is a Bigger Polluter than More than 100 Countries Combined – Quartz – June 28, 2019

*Meet the Money behind the Climate Denial Movement – Smithsonian Magazine – Nearly a billion dollars a year is flowing into the organized climate change counter-movement.

*The U.S. Now Solves Problems with Troops, Not Diplomats –  The Conversation – Is the USA a bully? 3 Oct 2019

*The U.S. Spends More on Its Military Than 144 Countries Combined – Institute for Policy Studies – The numbers are stark increases from last year’s differences. July 25, 2019

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*Antonio Carlos da Silva Rosa, born 1946, is founder-editor of the pioneering Peace Journalism website, TRANSCEND Media Service-TMS (from 2008), an assistant to Prof. Johan Galtung, Secretary of the International Board of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, and recipient of the Psychologists for Social Responsibility’s 2017 Anthony J. Marsella Prize for the Psychology of Peace and Social Justice.

He completed his B.A., M.A., and graduate Ph.D. work in the fields of Communication-Journalism and Political Science-Peace Studies/International Relations at the University of Hawai’i.

Originally from Brazil, he lives presently in Porto, Portugal. Antonio was educated in the USA where he lived for 20 years; in Europe-India since 1994.

Books: Transcender e Transformar: Uma Introdução ao Trabalho de Conflitos(from Johan Galtung, translation to Portuguese, 2004); Peace Journalism: 80 Galtung Editorials on War and Peace (2010, editor); Cobertura de Conflitos: Jornalismo para a Paz (from Johan Galtung, Jake Lynch & Annabel McGoldrick, translation to Portuguese, 2010). TMS articles by Mr. Rosa HERE. Videos HERE and HERE.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 7 Oct 2019: TMS: At $716 Billion, the US Military Budget Is Bigger Than Those of 144 Countries Combined and Largest Contributor to Climate Change

2019 Human Wrongs Watch