Question

USA spends about 54% of its total federal budget on the Military. Military spending in the USA is far greater than any nation in the world. (USA spends more on military than the next 10 highest spenders combined, 4 times China who is second on the list etc) Why does USA need to spend so much more on its military than other countries (cause), and what is/are the results of all this spending (effect)?

The essays should not be a simple list of causes or effects, but an essay that takes a position on why a condition exists and or argues the results of this condition. Some writers may even be able to create a strong focused thesis by suggesting a solution or arguing for some clear change of policy. The goal is to create an essay that allows you to develop a position or argument in a cause and effect essay. A strong thesis statement is very important and students should underline it in the final draft of their essay. Essay should be 4 pages long, double spaced , and it must have a minimum of 3 academic sources—no Wikipedia, encyclopedias, dictionaries etc. Use the library resources to find legitimate, academic sources.

Answer 1

World military Spending
global navy expenditure stands at over $1.7 trillion in annual expenditure at present costs for 2012. It fell with the aid of around half of a percent in comparison with 2011 the first fall considering 1998.

(1991 figures are unavailable. Chart uses 2011 regular prices for evaluation.)

Summarizing some key small print from the Stockholm global Peace research Institute (SIPRI) 12 months e-book 2013 summary on military expenditure:

World navy expenditure in 2012 is estimated to have reached $1.756 trillion;
this can be a zero.Four per cent lower in real phrases than in 2011 the primary fall due to the fact that 1998;
The total is still higher than in any 12 months between the tip of World warfare II and 2010;
This corresponds to 2.5 per cent of world gross home product (GDP), or approximately $249 for each and every person on the planet;
america with its huge spending funds, has long been the major determinant of the present world development, most often accounting for practically half of of the entire world military expenditure. The effects of world fiscal concern and the put up-Iraq/Afghanistan navy operations have visible a decline in its spending, now accounting for 39% of spending in 2012.

SIPRI has commented prior to now on the growing attention of navy expenditure, i.E. That a small quantity of nations spend the largest sums. This development carries on into 2012 spending. For instance,

The 15 international locations with the best possible spending account for over eighty one% of the whole;
america is accountable for 39 per cent of the arena total, distantly adopted through the China (9.5% of world share), Russia (5.2%), UK (three.5%) and Japan (three.4%)

navy spending is targeted in North the usa, Europe, and more and more, Asia:

however as latest figures have proven, there's a shift in expenditure from austerity-hit Western Europe and reduced spending by way of the U.S., to accelerated spending in eastern Europe and Asia.

Again to top
extended spending before and even for the period of global economic situation
the global fiscal and fiscal trouble resulted in lots of nations cutting again on all kinds of public spending, and yet army spending persisted to expand. Best in 2012 was once a fall in world navy expenditure famous and it was a small fall. How would persisted spending be justified in such an generation?

Earlier than the difficulty hit, many countries were enjoying both high financial development or a ways less difficult entry to credit score without any abilities of what was once to come.

A mixture of causes explained expanded navy spending in recent years earlier than the fiscal trouble as prior SIPRI studies had additionally famous, for illustration:

international policy goals
actual or perceived threats
Armed conflict and insurance policies to make contributions to multilateral peacekeeping operations
Availability of monetary assets

for many in Western Europe or united states on the top of the monetary situation, it may have been effortless to omit the worldwide monetary situation, used to be particularly a Western economic challenge (albeit with world reverberations). So this helps explains partly why military spending did not fall as right away as one might in any other case suppose. As SIPRI explains:

Some nations like China and India have now not experienced a downturn, but rather enjoyed financial growth
Most developed (and a few larger constructing) countries have boosted public spending to tackle the recession utilising significant fiscal stimulus packages. Military spending, though now not a massive part of it, has been a part of that basic public expenditure concentration (some also name this navy Keynesianism
Geopolitics and strategic interests are still factors to mission or maintain vigour: rising military spending for the USA, as the only superpower, and for other important or intermediate powers, akin to Brazil, China, Russia and India, seems to represent a strategic alternative of their lengthy-term quest for world and regional have an effect on; one that they could also be loath to move without, even in difficult monetary instances, SIPRI adds.
For u.S. 2012 army expenditure, for example, although there's fall, it's principally involving warfare-spending (Iraq and Afghanistan operations specially). But the baseline safeguard finances, by way of assessment, is essentially just like other years (marking a reduction in the rate of improved spending).

Against this, in relation to smaller nations and not using a such power ambitions and, more importantly, missing the resources and credit-worthiness to sustain such significant price range deficits many have minimize their military spending in 2009, particularly in significant and eastern Europe. (Perlo-Freeman, Ismail and Solmirano, pp.1 2)

natural assets have additionally driven military spending and fingers imports within the setting up world. The increase in oil prices manner more for oil exporting international locations.

The usual resource curse has long been famous as a phenomenon whereby countries, regardless of plentiful rich assets, find themselves in conflict and tension as a result of the vigour struggles that those resources bring (inside and outside influences are all a part of this).

In their previous 2006 file SIPRI noted that, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Russia and Saudi Arabia had been competent to broaden spending considering that of extended oil and gasoline revenues, at the same time Chile and Perus raises are resource-pushed, on account that their army spending is linked by way of legislation to earnings from the exploitation of key normal assets.

Additionally, China and India, the arenas two rising economic powers, are demonstrating a sustained broaden of their navy expenditure and contribute to the development in world army spending. In absolute phrases their present spending is handiest a fraction of the US. Their raises are mostly commensurate with their monetary progress.