Attention Arms Merchants: Sell Here!

With the Western world in a variety of budget crunches, and their wars winding down (either through success, or domestic politics), the world defense expenditures are expected to change, led by several emerging economies:

Arms manufacturers will have to seek new markets as the economic crisis and changing priorities curb military spending in the U.S. and Europe, analyst Jane's Information Group said Tuesday.
The U.S. accounts for nearly half the world's defense spending, but Jane's predicts U.S. expenditure will fall in the next few years, while military spending in Europe remains flat.
The publication Jane's Industry Quarterly identified Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and Brazil as the most attractive 'golden markets' for defense companies. Jane's chose those markets for a combination of growth rate, market size, stability and openness to international defense firms.

Now, the old joke about Brazil is that "it has great potential, and always will." But this time they seemed determined to flex some military muscle, especially with Venezuela on the prowl. We reported on this last week.

By: Brant