Despite the White House’s rhetoric about supporting global democracy, the U.S. sold weapons in 2022 to 57 percent of the world’s authoritarian regimes.
by Stephen Semler, The Intercept
Since President Joe Biden came into office in 2021, he has described a “battle between democracies and autocracies” in which the U.S. and other democracies strive to create a peaceful world. The reality, however, is that the Biden administration has helped increase the military power of a large number of authoritarian countries. According to an Intercept review of recently released government data, the U.S. sold weapons to at least 57 percent of the world’s autocratic countries in 2022.
Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been the world’s biggest weapons dealer, accounting for about 40 percent of all arms exports in a given year. In general, these exports are funded through grants or sales. There are two pathways for the latter category: foreign military sales and direct commercial sales.
The U.S. government acts as an intermediary for FMS acquisitions: It buys the materiel from a company first and then delivers the goods to the foreign recipient. DCS acquisitions are more straightforward: They’re the result of an agreement between a U.S. company and a foreign government. Both categories of sales require the government’s approval.
Country-level data for last year’s DCS authorizations was released in late April through the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. FMS figures for fiscal year 2022 were released earlier this year through the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency. According to their data, a total of 142 countries and territories bought weapons from the U.S. in 2022, for a total of $85 billion in bilateral sales.
Recent Posts
Opposition of Nuclear Power ‘Revival’ in New York Holds its First Forum
Take Action Now This first forum, a webinar on Jan. 15, was titled a “Symposium for Safe and Affordable Energy in New York” as part of a series…
In Response to the Renee Good killing, Dems Propose ICE Reforms That Would Have Done Nothing to Prevent the Renee Good Killing
Take Action Now Good’s killer was a 10-year ICE veteran, himself a trainer, and recorded the killing. What good would more training and more cameras…
The Consequences Of Trump’s War On Climate In 7 Charts
Take Action Now Seven snapshots reveal how climate rollbacks altered the trajectory of U.S. energy, environmental protection, and economic security.……
Trump Received The Nobel Peace Prize From Maria Corina Machado. But Who Is She?
Take Action Now While Machado has played a pertinent and critical role for the US in causing chaos, disseminating propaganda, and pushing for regime…