The nerve of war: an overview of military expenditure 2000-201

Abstract

Observing that there has been a significant increase in resources allocated to the defense sector, the objective of this article is to point out the global hierarchies of military spend[1]ing. This type of spending constitutes one of the main elements of the dispute for world hegemony: military spending reflects the national interest to strengthen defense and security activities. Therefore, the growth of military spending indicates both the specific weight of the armed forces in contemporary societies, as well as the situation of the asymmetric rela[1]tions between the hegemonic position of the United States and its competitors. The article also includes an analysis of Latin American countries that make significant investments in the military, in order to show that this region takes part in the ongoing authoritarian tendencies. In accordance with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the general trends in the defense spend[1]ing during the period 2000-2019 are presented looking at the main global powers (United States, China, United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, Germany, India and South Korea), and at the main investors in Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina). The analysis of the military spending trends is framed in the context of a generalized over-accumulation, the gradual weakening of the international hegemonic order built by the United States and the emergence of regional powers.