A portion of the Berlin Wall is on display on the  (inner) grounds of the UN.  I was there, at the suggestion of a representative of Brooklyn for Peace, for a briefing on worldwide military spending called “Military Expenditure and Prospects for the Future” which included these interesting figures:

–Estimated total world military expenditures (or “milex”) in 2009 was: $1.5 trillion.

–The US continues to be the largest spender, with $661 billion, or 43% of the world’s share.

–Other big spenders: China ($100 billion), France ($63.9 billion), UK ($58.3 billion) and Russia ($53.3 billion).

Several groups collaborated to produce the briefing, including Religions for Peace and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).