Chile Leads LatAm’s Arms Race Followed by Venezuela and Brazil

Chile is the Latinamerican country which most spends in defense, ahead of Venezuela and Brazil according to a report published in the Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Under the title of "Latinamerica is rearming", the influential Madrid newspaper ponders if, with the excuse of a renewal of obsolete military equipment, South America is not launched in an arms race?

According to figures in the article, Chile has spent US$ 2.785 billion in equipment renewal followed by Venezuela with US$ 2.2 billion and Brazil US$ 1.342 billion.

El Pais also points out that Ecuador, Chile and Colombia are the three countries, which last year spent a higher percentage of their GDPs in defense: an average 3.5% which contrasts with 1.13% for Argentina and 0.43% in Mexico.

However the big difference can be appreciated in the kind of equipment purchased.

"While Chile has opted for the most advanced technology, Venezuela has concentrated in equipment to arm a significant percentage of its civilian population.

Brazil has been spending in combat and transport means to ensure oversight and control of the Amazon basin and Argentina has purchased radars and missiles for air combat".

The Spanish newspaper stresses the differences between Chile and Venezuela, the two countries with the longest shopping list, particularly Chile that has acquired equipment non existent in the region until now.

Chile among other equipments has acquired a hundred Leopard II combat tanks from Germany; two newly built French-Spanish submarines with missile capabilities; 10 F-16 fighter bombers with medium range air to air missiles from the United States and another batch of 18 F-16 refurbished in Holland.

Venezuela’s purchases are mainly helicopters and transport aircrafts from Russia and Spain plus combat aircrafts from Brazil and 100.000 AK-103 and AK-104 assault rifles from Russia.

Finally the newspaper points out that Chile has repeatedly sustained that the country’s Defense policy is "transparent and exclusively defensive" and that its military capability "will not vary in the coming years".

Mercopress – www.mercopress.com

Tags:

You May Also Like

WSF Says in Brazil that Water Is Human Right

Water is a human right, not a product to be commercialized. This is the ...

Brazil Post Office’s Month-Long Strike Ends After Court’s Intervention

After 28 days of strike, it will take between seven and ten days for ...

Why India Is Decades Ahead of Brazil

Besides religiosity, two things distinguish man from the other animals: walking on two legs ...

Inmates show in Brazil head of a beheaded prisoner

What Did Brazil Learn from the Carandiru Massacre? Nothing, It Seems.

On July 17, 2005, dust clouds engulfed the former site of São Paulo’s House ...

It Seems Cardoso Is Still President in Brazil

Brazil Lula’s government will have to take care, less through not having fulfilled its ...

Brazil to Repeat Plentiful Harvest of 2004

The 2005 harvest in Brazil should attain 119.48 million tons, practically the same as ...

Close to 30% of Brazilians Are Between 15 and 29. They Want Jobs and Education

Since yesterday, June 13, around 80 young people from more than 12 countries and ...

Brazil’s Yanomami Leader Gets Death Threats from Illegal Goldminers in the Amazon

Brazil’s Yanomami shaman and spokesperson Davi Kopenawa, who has led the struggle for the ...

Brazil: Lula Vetoes Law Intended as Social Shock

Recently, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva vetoed a set of measures approved by ...

After the Generals the Catholic Bishops Wage War Against Lula

After apparently overcoming military intransigence Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his ...