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March 24, 2008

Invest in people not weapons

Craig Kielburger
Marc Kielburger

With this month's new round of

sanctions against Iran and its
nuclear enrichment program,
nations have been forced to
once again consider the political
and military implications of one
day having yet another nuclear-
armed state.
Lost in this debate, though, is
the recognition of exactly what
this ongoing pursuit of the
world's deadliest weapon means
for our ability to protect and
promote everyday human rights
and the necessities of life. Pakistan tests a medium-range Shaheen-1 ballistic missile in January.
The burgeoning arms race in South Asia has raised regional tensions
Since the beginning of the and fears of nuclear terrorism. (Mar 24, 2008)
nuclear age, countries have
spent large fortunes on the research, development and maintenance of their nuclear
arsenals. The United States alone spends upwards of $35 billion a year on maintaining
its nuclear stockpile – money that is diverted from health care, education and other
essential social services.
In a country where rural schools are in desperate need of funding, and where nearly 50
million people have no health insurance, these billions could be better spent
somewhere else.
"We've put this money down a black hole of so-called security," says David Krieger,
president of the California-based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. "In a more just and
humane society, that money would be spent on health care, housing and the
alleviation of poverty."
The United States is not the only country that funnels money into nuclear weapons
while its most vulnerable citizens go without. Just last month in India, another nuclear-
armed nation, the government allocated $26 billion for defence and weapons spending,
despite the fact that nearly 80 per cent of its population lives on less than a dollar a
day.
China, which has roughly 300 nuclear warheads, spends more than twice as much as
India on its defence budget, yet allocates barely $20 per person for education.
"It's hard not to conceive of this as a human rights issue," Krieger says.
It's long been assumed that having this technology translates into increased clout on
the international stage. So as long as countries continue to raise the stakes by
spending billions on nuclear arms, others will want to do the same.
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North Korea's acquisition of a nuclear bomb has stirred fears of an arms race in Asia,
and talk that Al Qaeda wants to acquire a bomb for itself has grown steadily louder.
Each time the ante is raised, our ability to achieve a basic quality of life falls lower on
the priority list.
That's why Krieger's organization is hoping to collect a million signatures demanding
the next U.S. president take the lead on developing a phased, verifiable and
transparent international agreement on the disarmament of the world's 27,000
remaining nuclear warheads – something the U.S. and other armed nations have failed
to do since signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty back in 1968.
"We have a tremendous responsibility to do something," he says. "No other generation
in the past has had to confront the possibility of human annihilation by means of its
own cleverness."
Before any such agreement becomes possible, there will need to be a major shift in
global priorities. Investing in weapons with the power to wipe out the entire Earth in
the hope of achieving peace is an inherently flawed approach, one that leaves us in a
precarious and unpredictable balance between deterrence and destruction.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are children's rights activists and co-founded Free The
Children, which is active in the developing world. Online: Craig and Marc Kielburger
discuss global issues every Monday in the World & Comment section. Take part in the
discussion online at thestar.com/globalvoices.