Vol. XXXIX

Each year, the widely respected Stockholm International Peace Research Institute publishes estimates of international defense spending. The last complete year, 2013, showed: The U.S. $ 640.2 billion; China $ 188.5 billion; and Russia $ 87.8 billion. The U.S. spends almost two-and-a-half times what our “enemies” spend, but even that doesn’t satisfy the hawks in Washington.…