A cynic’s guide to arms races

There is an old Latin saying that insists “If you want peace, prepare for war.” Pacifists might scoff at what seems to be an inherent irony – it does seem unthinkable that war could ever lead to peace – but as with most things in life, it is not as simple as we would like.

A report published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) has revealed that last year global defence spending saw its biggest increase in a decade. The think tank attributed the rise to increasing competition between the US and China, introduction of new technologies and ongoing conflict in various parts of the world.

In a bid to increase its influence, China has long been investing in ways to erode the military might that has allowed the US to be the world’s sole superpower. In particular, as the report also pointed out, Beijing has been developing hypersonic missiles that, by flying at speeds at least five times the speed of sound, can threaten US power projection assets like its famed carrier strike groups.

Meanwhile, the US  continues to have the gargantuan task of not only maintaining the size of the world’s largest military but also to ensure it retains the technological superiority that can guarantee its apex position in the world. Neither of these comes cheap.

Arms races, as the aforementioned Latin adage reminds us, are as old as time. In some ways, they are hardwired into life itself. One of the main drivers of evolution, for instance, was a biological arms race between predator and prey.

They are not necessarily entirely negative either. On a more direct level, a constant rebalancing of military capabilities does ensure some measure of peace, precarious as it may be. They also, inadvertently, enable technologies that find untold utility beyond their martial progenitors. From rubber to radio waves, the list is endless.

That said, as states and world powers engage in military buildup, it would do their leaders well to remember just who they plan on fighting for and whether some of those resources could better serve elsewhere.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.