Lethe
Captain
Problem is, Stockholm International Peace Research Institution shows Pakistan averaged 3.3% GDP for defense in the last decade, while its neighbors spent less of the GDP on defense. India averaged 2.5% GDP, Afghanistan 1.2%, Bangladesh 1.2%, Thailand 1.5% and Iran 2.9%. So the question is why Pakistan spends so much more on defense, when its economy isn't in good shape?
Pakistan's reference threat is India, a nation that has a much larger economy than Pakistan. Even devoting a lower proportion of its GDP to military spending, India still spends significantly more than Pakistan, and it is this reality that bounds Pakistan's own spending. Absolute spending is what matters in this context, not % of GDP, as it is absolute spending that translates into soldiers, platforms and capabilities.
Both India and Pakistan today devote proportionally fewer resources to military spending than in eras past, and we can only applaud this, nonetheless international relations set certain bounds. Pakistani military spending is bounded by India, Indian military spending is bounded by China, and China's military spending is bounded by the United States. Indeed, the United States is the real outlier in any discussion of military spending. As a very large, wealthy, and strategically isolated nation, by all rights it could spend far less than it does -- in both absolute and proportional terms -- whilst preserving its security. If one wishes to reduce military spending around the world, the international dynamics and the uniquely secure position of the USA mean that there is no better place to start than Washington D.C.
The international dynamics of military spending point to the overriding importance of diplomacy in resolving areas of actual and potential contention, thereby allowing military spending to stabilise at a low level that allows humanity in all nations to flourish.
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