Even before United States President Donald Trump got the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit to agree to his demand that European governments raise military spending to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) (up from its current average of 2.6%), aid organisation Oxfam said that less than 3% of the richest seven (G7) countries’ collective annual military spending — estimated last year to be US$1.5 trillion — could totally eradicate world hunger.

NATO spending already comprised 55% of global military spending last year and yet, with the exception of the Spanish government, they agreed to almost double it. NATO has identified China and Russia as the chief targets of its war drive, so those countries will race to match the rise in military spending.

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