Amidst falling living standards and attacks on social welfare systems by the advanced capitalist world's ruling elites, the Global North's governments have pledged to pump more resources into the non-productive sector of the economy called armament and defence expenditures. The solemn pledges made during the recent Nato conference in The Hague clearly indicate that politicians in the advanced capitalist countries are least concerned about the financial hardships of ordinary citizens that have multiplied after the pandemic.

The summit witnessed the tremendous generosity of these ruling elites, who are not ready to extend a few billion dollars to alleviate the suffering of the people belonging to marginalised sections of their societies. The representatives of 31 states, who have been implementing ruthless austerity policies in their countries, did not bother to invoke the mantra of taxpayers’ money that they are not tired of repeating while cutting down on ordinary people’s benefits.

The moot decided to increase the defence budget from the current 2.0 per cent to 5.0 per cent of the GDP within the next 10 years. Out of this, 3.5 per cent would purely be used for military expenditure, such as troops and weapons, while another 1.5 per cent would be invested in cyber security, infrastructure and the construction of barracks. Except Spain, no country questioned the rationale for such a huge investment in a sector that would possibly create more problems for those seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts across the world, especially on the European continent.

The expenses of this gathering also show how callously ruling elites spend money when it comes to their own comforts and luxuries. For instance, the working session of the event lasted for two and half hours only, but cost 183 million euros. In terms of lavishness, the event was not less than a royal wedding, attracting around 9000 dignitaries, including 45 heads of........

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