henric
02-24-2012, 01:21 PM
23/02/2012 8:29:00 AM
by Sameer Vasta
Russian PM announced that the country will be spending a lot to modernize its armed forces. Is this just grandstanding? And will countries like Canada follow suit?
Russia is going to spend almost $800 billion to modernize its armed forces in the near future, in an effort to continue to show strength to its allies and enemies.
In a statement to a Russian newspaper, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated that it needed to work harder to protect itself from foreign powers, and that the threat of force by other countries is magnified in a time of international economic uncertainty.
Putin doesn't seem to be alone in his ideas on defense spending. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government have made several commitments to modernize Canada's armed forces, and the pricey acquisition of new helicopters, tanks, and aircraft in the past five years have shown the governing party's commitment to military expenditure.
There is, obviously, a case to be made for modernizing our armed forces. All countries should have a competent defense against international threat, and the soldiers that protect the people of a nation should be equipped with the best possible equipment to keep them safe and make sure that they can do their job more effectively.
But $770 billion? Is Putin's idea sound, or is it grandstanding? And if that spending does go through, does that give other countries, including Canada, to increase its military expenditure by that order of magnitude?
In time of a global economic crisis, it seems like the best defense for a country is sound economic policy, a reduction in debt, and better public services for those in need. While a strong armed forces is important, it does not seem like the paramount priority. Good foreign policy is also important to drive away any threats from external forces, and can be done by intelligent people at lower costs.
Modernizing the military is important, but playing a game of "my army is bigger than yours and we spend more" is not productive to any country. It is just political grandstanding, and won't accomplish anything but to antagonize the wrong people.
Let's hope Putin and Russia learn that soon, and that Canada thinks long and hard about this if they are tempted to follow suit.
by Sameer Vasta
Russian PM announced that the country will be spending a lot to modernize its armed forces. Is this just grandstanding? And will countries like Canada follow suit?
Russia is going to spend almost $800 billion to modernize its armed forces in the near future, in an effort to continue to show strength to its allies and enemies.
In a statement to a Russian newspaper, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated that it needed to work harder to protect itself from foreign powers, and that the threat of force by other countries is magnified in a time of international economic uncertainty.
Putin doesn't seem to be alone in his ideas on defense spending. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government have made several commitments to modernize Canada's armed forces, and the pricey acquisition of new helicopters, tanks, and aircraft in the past five years have shown the governing party's commitment to military expenditure.
There is, obviously, a case to be made for modernizing our armed forces. All countries should have a competent defense against international threat, and the soldiers that protect the people of a nation should be equipped with the best possible equipment to keep them safe and make sure that they can do their job more effectively.
But $770 billion? Is Putin's idea sound, or is it grandstanding? And if that spending does go through, does that give other countries, including Canada, to increase its military expenditure by that order of magnitude?
In time of a global economic crisis, it seems like the best defense for a country is sound economic policy, a reduction in debt, and better public services for those in need. While a strong armed forces is important, it does not seem like the paramount priority. Good foreign policy is also important to drive away any threats from external forces, and can be done by intelligent people at lower costs.
Modernizing the military is important, but playing a game of "my army is bigger than yours and we spend more" is not productive to any country. It is just political grandstanding, and won't accomplish anything but to antagonize the wrong people.
Let's hope Putin and Russia learn that soon, and that Canada thinks long and hard about this if they are tempted to follow suit.