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(Not the person you're replying to, but I'll add a quick note about the military part): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures

by cryptoz 12y ago

(Not the person you're replying to, but I'll add a quick note about the military part): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_e... I think that having a military 2x as big as the next biggest is a sufficient definition for 'excessive'. And here, it's a lot more than 2x.

humanrebar 12y ago
One counter is that the current (relative) global stability benefits from a pax americana. A related argument is that the Soviet Union collapsed (at least as early as it did) due to its attempt to keep up with American spending on science, technology, and military. But... A better point is that it's inconsistent to state this: > how would you pick one culture to standardize upon? ...and then criticize America for not conforming to a standard about the proper level of military and economic power.