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As the global economies sink into recession, as world hunger escalates, as inflation spikes and people pay much more to buy a lot less, as world poverty levels increase and the middle class shrinks…countries around the world have increased their military budgets and built up their defenses since the Ukraine War began in February.
Prime Minister Sanchez pledged to increase Spain’s military budget to 2 percent of GDP by 2030, up from 1 percent. Spain recently bought 20 Eurofighter jets for 2 billion euros.
Three days after Russia invaded Ukraine Chancellor Scholz committed $107 billion to raise Germany’s defense spending above 2 percent of GDP.
Japan will be doubling its defense budget within the next 5 years from 1 to 2 percent of its GDP, amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China.
Italy has pledged to increase its defense spending to 2 percent from 1.6 percent by 2028.
Sweden will boost their defense budget by $318 million this year. Finland added $2.2 billion or a 70 percent increase to their defense spending.
Macron has pledged to increase military spending by 9 billion euros to 50 billion by 2025.
Australia’s defense spending will rise 7.4 percent to $36 billion.
Poland will increase its defense spending to 2.2 percent this year and then 3 percent next year and it will stay at 3 percent until 2030, one of the highest levels in NATO. Plans to more than double the number of troops.
Belgium spent an extra billion euros into its budget in response to Russia’s invasion. This will increase their military spending to 1.54 percent of GDP.
Switzerland is set to increase its budget from $5.8 billion to $7.3 billion by 2030 due to concerns of Russian aggression.
Denmark has reached an agreement to gradually raise its defense budget to 2 percent or 2.42 billion euros by 2033.
Latvia will increase their defense budget to 2.5 percent by 2025 to deter Russia. Estonia will ramp up defense spending to 2.5 percent from 2.2 percent over the next 4 years. Lithuania’s president wants the country to increase its spending to 3 percent of GDP.
Canada has vowed to increase their budget to 1.5 percent, however, this is not in writing.
The U.S. will increase its spending by 4.1 percent, or by $30.7 billion, to $773 billion in 2023.
TREND FORECAST: As Gerald Celente says, “When all else fails, they take you to war.”
As economies go down, governments, run by the mentally ill, spend more of the people’s money on the military, fueling the worsening financial crisis while stoking the flames of war.
Go back to the cover of the Trends Journal on 22 February, two days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It read: FROM COVID WAR, TO UKRAINE WAR, TO WORLD WAR: TALK OF PEACE IS FORBIDDEN.
With the sharp escalation of military budgets the trend-line for war is clear. Unless we unite for peace, WWIII will be our reality. And as Albert Einstein said, “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
Please do what you can to attend/support our 23 July Occupy Peace, Peace and Freedom Rally in Kingston, NY at 2 PM on the Four Corners of Freedom: www.OccupyPeace.com