Rumors of War

Middle East, Asia biggest arms importers: SIPRI - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, said Monday the arms import figures for the Middle East accounted for 29 percent of global imports during the 2012 to 2016 period, while Asia and Oceania accounted for 43 percent of global imports during that period. [...] According to the SIPRI report, India was the world's largest importer of major arms during the 2012 to 2016 period, accounting for 13 percent of the global total. During that period it increased its arms imports by 43 percent. [...] The world's top arms exporter was the United States, accounting for one-third of total arms exports during the 2012 to 2016 period. Russia accounted for a 23 percent share."

Comment: It's always been one of the ironies of world affairs that diplomats work for peace as their defense industries sell weapons to all sides.  Fortunately, the arms marketers have stumbled upon a brilliant sales strategy, as long as they maintain a constant low-level of conflict in peripheral countries, no one will care. Now if we could just get the insurance industry to sell refugee policies for those poor civilians living in top markets we might score a perfect PR coup.