Nobel Laureates Call for Peace Dividend

How would the world change if 2% of what it now spends on the military were shifted to addressing problems like poverty, climate change, and pandemics?  Well, if a group of 50 Nobel laureates gets what it’s requesting, we’re about to find out.

Although 2% may not sound like a lot, that’s about $15 billion annually from the U.S. alone.  And will the world be a more dangerous place with a tad fewer fighter planes and surface-to-air missiles?  Hardly.

It’s interesting that highly intelligent people tend to concern themselves with the well-being of others.  I hasten to add that this is not uniformly the case; there are some very bright Trump supporters and other people who could be described as “morally challenged.”  But again, there is a significant correlation here.

Pictured above: “More than $1.2 billion worth of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter jets fly in formation above Indiana. (Photo: Col. Hiram Gates/USAF)”