What global issues could be resolved if every country stopped spending on defensive and offensive weapons?

Question

Less than 1% of the people make decisions which affect the other 99%. Too often these decisions involve violence or defense against violence. What are the main reasons weapons are manufactured? Could that money be better spent(or given!) to help people? How many global issues could be resolved peacefully if those funds were diverted to PRODUCTIVE endeavors? How much could the global quality of life improve if every country devoted those funds to help its own people?

Answer 1

I believe the Simpsons answered this question. It was in the episode where the monkey's hand grants wishes and Lisa wishes for no more weapons. What happens? Aliens enslaved the entire human race.

Now, I'm not saying we will be enslaved by ET, but what I am saying is that NEVER will all weapons be eliminated. People are meglomaniacal and someone would use the disarmament of others to further their goals. That's what happened in post-WWI Europe that enabled Hitler to rapidly conquer the entire continent.

Answer 2

This year alone the US department of defenses' budget is $419.3 billion dollars and its almost that amount every year. Just imagine what a country could do with $400 billion. I remember watching a nature show saying that even if the US used just a small portion of that the US could convert entirely to an enviromentaly friendly energy / oil freed economy. This would be done by normal means nothing fancy or experimental, i.e. wind, solar, biomass gassification, clean coal, hydrogen.

Answer 3

This seems like a great idea, unfortuantly some where someone will always attack others looking to gain power. This lack of universally accepting the notion means nations must defend themselves.

Answer 4

None of them.

The sad fact of the matter is that the reason that most countries are the messes that they are is because they need to reform themselves. And until they reform themselves - no amount of money will solve their problems.

Answer 5

Those who don't act as a country would take over.

Answer 6

World hunger.