Militarism, militarization, health and the Third World

This paper examines the relationship between militarism, militarization, health and development. It draws attention to the fact that world military expenditure has continued to soar since the Second World War. Wars increasingly exact a heavy civilian toll. Third World countries are consuming, producing, and exporting more armaments than ever before. The rate of growth of military expenditure in developing countries has been far greater than their rate of growth in gross national product or in foreign economic aid. Countries under military control tend to be more repressive and to have suffered more years at war than those under civilian rule. Widespread availability of arms makes the settlement of disputes through violence more likely. Internal wars and violence are stimulated by a range of factors including inequalities in political and economic power, uneven development, and lack of popular participation in policy decisions by the majority of the population. The support of the industrialized countries for armament sales should be monitored, challenged and made politically unpalatable. Local development and regional cooperation should be stimulated. Health workers, as witnesses to the destruction to public health caused by war and violence, should play a part in advocating a reduction in the arms trade and the promotion of development in Third World countries.