WHO WE GET FROM THE WARS?
Weapons market here is those who produce and those who buy
In 2011, Amnesty International published a report entitled "Arms Transfers to the Middle East and North Africa: Lessons for an effective treaty on the arms trade," in which the non-governmental organization examines exports to Bahrain, Egypt, Syria, Libya and Yemen. Italy also appears, in this case, one of the main exporting countries: for example, is among the 10 countries that have authorized the supply of arms and munitions to the regime of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya. Unfortunately it is not the only one, and while on the one hand there are those who die, on the other hand someone makes money, and many more. The Italian Constitution art. 11 reads: "Italy rejects war as an instrument of aggression against the freedom of other peoples and as a means of settling international disputes." How to reconcile this principle with support for totalitarian regimes such as Libya? What is the point they are celebrating peace when economic interests are going in the opposite direction?
The international production
The turnover that revolves around the production of war materials is one of the most prosperous in the world. Suffice it to say that in the period 2008/2012 weapons trafficking has been an increase of 17% over the period 2003/2007. Who is selling? Who's buying? Think of the regions in which they are open conflicts in recent years seems obvious that the war in the East. This is a belief shared by many Westerners who see their countries as peaceful places. Yet it is precisely our "quiet" West to supply arms to any country torn by wars and tensions. The two cardinals sellers are obviously two of the major powers mon being fulfilled: United States (30% of world exports of weapons) and Russia (26%). 45% of American arms exports are directed to Asia and Oceania. It is interesting to note that Iraq and Afghanistan have become two of the main goals of American exports since the United States has ordered the withdrawal of armed forces from those same places. Russia, on the other hand, with an order book currently stands at around 46 billion dollars, following close behind the United States; the first goals are, even in this case, Asia and Oceania. Scrolling through the data, then, it is possible to reconstruct the performance of the five largest suppliers of weapons in the period 2007-2011. United States and Russia, alone, account for 54% of world exports. The other three are Germany (9%), France (8%) and the UK (4%). Lately, however, it was replaced by China. In the last two decades, the arms manufacturers have carried out absorption and alliances, including international, just to support the production difficulties and the rising costs associated with increasingly sophisticated means. BAE, Thales, EADS, Finmeccanica are the great European union trying to compete with the giants of the famous American Lockheed Martin and the like.
Where do the weapons and forgotten conflicts in the world
The States which import most of all weapons are: India, China, Pakistan, South Korea and Singapore. It is crucial to remember that they are sixty countries involved in conflicts. More closely: • In Africa, countries at war are 24 and you get to 115 armed groups; hot spots are found in Darfur, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Puntland, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Somaliland. • Asia has 15 states and 113 militia; areas of greatest tension are North Korea, South Korea, Afghanistan, Burma-Myanmar and Pakistan. • In the Middle East there are 8 g or 112 Governments and militancy that operate in Iraq, Israel, Syria, Turkey, Yemen. • Our continent, Europe, boasts 8 states embroiled in armed conflict, as well as 61 different organizations equipped; the affected areas are Chechnya and Dagestan. • The America involving 5 countries and 25 other organized groups involved in drug trafficking in particular. The hot spots are located in Colombia and Mexico.
The immunity to crisis
Returning to the Amnesty International report, the editors noted: "The world needs you rigorously assess each proposed arms transfer so that if there is a risk that these can be used to commit or facilitate serious human rights human, the government must show a red light. "However, as the field of armaments linked to the needs of domestic and international security, it offers a whole range of direct and indirect state subsidies that have preserved the crisis, including the terrorist threat, as well as the tensions between the different states often adjacent to each other (just think of the hostility and threats between the two Koreas).
Made in Italy
That weapon is, therefore, an international business that grinds billion each year, a market that, both as regards Italy that other producing countries, it is stable even in the midst of the economic crisis in some states this is an area even growing. And it was one of those states where you need to focus is exactly the Bel Paese. While in the world you could see the first alarming signs of the economic meltdown in 2009, in Italy we recorded a 64% increase in the trade of arms. According to data from SIPRI - the International Research Institute for Peace Stockholm, which deals with the study of the origins of the conflict, and of the reasons I will explore the possible solutions - Italy, in fact, is in fifth place in the rankings world as a producing country but terial war, how to export the eighth of this and eleven Italian companies, primarily Finmeccanica, fall within the top 100 preferential suppliers are the United States and Germany. On the export side, Italy has sold weapons for $ 3.2 billion over five years (2007-2011) in various countries, including Libya. Made in Italy of weapons acquired its obvious notoriety thanks to the notorious land mines and mines. Until the early nineties, mainly due to industry Oto Melara, we were one of the main producing countries of this kind of devices, the manufacture of which is now prohibited. In 1997 he had, in fact, in our country, a storage of 7 million anti-personnel mines, while in 2003 it was announced his definitive dismantling. The spearhead of the Italian Tecnova Spa and Fincantieri was represented by the TC6, a bomb from the devastating destructive power, a landmine that still takes its toll in the world. In Afghanistan, most of the weapons used are just mine TC6 changed, the Italian-built. Just these devices were responsible for the deaths among our own countrymen in a peace mission. Other manufacturers of these devices are Valsella meccano technique spa and SEISpA, both based in Brescia. "As long as there is war there is hope" Alberto Sordi titled his film "As long as there is war, there is hope." There is hope for entrepreneurs and for the taxes that the state must affix a trade of this kind. Italy in recent years has favored trade routes with areas of increased instability on the planet, not just Gaddafi, which was, in fact, the main supplier, but according to the survey carried out by Amnesty International, our government has helped provide material war in authority are classified as repressive in the Middle East and North Africa. Italy was the only country capable of exporting between 2005 and 2010 in the five countries most politically marked: Bahrain, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Yemen. As if to testify that the poorest places in the world are also the most armed.
Finmeccanica is a sensation: the scandals affecting the defense industry
The sections with the countries most in need are also represented by several "business strategy": a major scandal that hit in 2010 Finmeccanica, the corporate giant magnet that the majority of companies involved in the sector, is a clear example. On June 8 of that year, Lorenzo Cola, a consultant company, was arrested with a heavy accusation recycling 8 million and 300 thousand euro used to purchase shares in the company Digint important. Cola, along with his partner Gennaro Mokbel, intended to take advantage of that company to obtain contracts in the military. This strategy would have resulted in free access to the supply of armaments produced by the companies of the group, which would have then proceeded to sell the Asian market to secure the opening of a company in the Republic of Singapore. From this project the company was to become the central hub for the supply of armaments. Being a Finmeccanica industrial group belonging to the 35% to the public, the government decided to intervene, giving sweeping powers to the CEO Orsi, who was arrested a few months later with charges of miliarcorruzione International for the supply of military helicopters to the Indian Army, the proceeds of which would have been the lifeline of the Italian industrial group.
The proposal: invest in the sector, the only safe haven economy
On 11 April this year, the Fact Daily published an article which reported the testimony of Nicholas Perrotti, president dell'Anpam, the national association and weapons manufacturers. Perrotti proposes a new recipe out of the crisis: to start from the weapons, probably the most solid Italian industry at the moment. Arguing that there is a need to 'aid' by the State. It should only be limited to not apply any unnecessary obstacles to allow the war industry made in Italy to finally be able to compare in a decisive way with the foreign competition. What naivety to believe that the made in Italy was known for Gucci, Prada, Armani, or typical products ... Apparently we are the masters in the field of war. The best known brand in the world is that Beretta, not only is the oldest firm of weapons, but it is also a world leader in the production of the lighter ones. The police in the United States has its own use a special supply of Beretta pistols. The ISTAT points out that there is no crisis for the export of weapons Brescia: increased by more than 20% of arms exports from that area, which in 2012 reached a record figure of 316 million euro. The main recipients continue to be eg the United States (119 million euro), but among the largest buyers appears Turkey (over 36 million), India (10 million), Russia (nearly 10 million), and especially a new entry, Malaysia (5 million) and mark a clear decline in exports to the EU (-5.6%).
A trade financed by banks
The aforementioned Finmeccanica, during the last two decades, it has become increasingly concentrated in the military gradually withdrew from the civil (alternative energy, transport, etc..). The arms trade is, in fact, increased by 24% in 5 years, and fundamental to the achievement of this result, it was the intervention of the banks. Banks paid more in this kind of negotiations are BNL, BNP Paribas, followed by Unicredit and Intesa San Paolo Group, together with all groups between 2000 and 2009 were absorbed by them. Funding can occur in different ways, but one that is highlighted by some scholars in the field is that sometimes the client is not aware that within a given fund may appear shares of companies related to heavy industry.
The diplomacy of lead
Logical consequence, as immediate, is therefore to quantify the importance of the arms market plays in foreign policy agreements between states, which are beginning to shed their appearance diplomatic and economic. An example? The already well-known agreement between Greece and the European countries: all'elargizione behind the large sum given the eurozone to avoid economic meltdown there is an agreement for the supply of arms by France and Germany, which amounts to 7 billion euro , 3% of the GDP of the Hellenic nation. Another eloquent example is the recent supply of arms from Britain to Sri Lanka: the country is made by exacerbating a few years out of a 30-year civil war that has pitted the army and the separatist central "Tamil Tigers". The "The Independent" reveals the commission of weapons by the British government for a bill of around £ 3 million. A pittance compared to the costs in the world weaponry, which, however, was worth the Tamil remission of all requests for political asylum in European countries.
Arm Therapy
Such conduct must be unmotivated and punished, the risk is to fall into the trap of the ARM therapy: that is, the economic distortion that a country in crisis can find economic relief army in the industry, who would like an increase in employment associated with a high monetary return. The demonstration of the inconvenience of this practice is, needless to say, just from Italy: the purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the United States, in front of 10 billion expenditure for the purchase of 131 vehicles (later reduced to 90 ) and 30 billion for maintenance during their life cycle, should have generated 10,000 jobs; in reality it was demonstrated that the expenditure of $ 40 billion can only generate 2,500 jobs (clearly disadvantageous agreement), in addition to the amount of defects in aircraft design that brought Turkey to consider cancellation of the order. An investment of 40 billion euro should be divided into public and private sectors in Italy that are most blamed the economic downturn for the creation, or at least the recovery of productive jobs in the true sense of the word (ie, that investment, generate an added value useful to the entire country).
And human freedom?
The arms market is not added value of a state, it can become rather affossante additional factor of an economic system. The same economic system that should be oriented policy toward the good of the citizens, not an asset subject to the claim for the purchase of arms for their defense. And it is also regrettable that this can create using a buzzword, the "mess-ups" with the United thesis to the violation of human rights. To avoid this you need a change of priorities in the regulation of trade and a real race to disarmament for the achievement of human freedom not just on paper, but real.
http://www.educazioneliberta.it/2013/04/chi-ci-guadagna-dalle-guerre/
