Possibly as much as 10% of its GDP.
The U.S.-based Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis estimates that North Korea, with an annual GDP of about $17 billion, earns some $1.5 billion a year from missile sales. Other studies said the figure may be in the hundreds of millions of dollars and that prior U.N. sanctions have cut into exports.
The United States suspects the North has also sold nuclear know-how, but there are no figures readily available on income
Wenzel,
ReplyDeleteThat's funny. No one wanted to buy centrally-planned cars (Yugo), but apparently people still consider centrally-planned missles to be reliable?
Can you imagine how destructive the world's military machinery would be if it were fully privatized?!
It wouldn't exist, my friend. There's stuff the market will never supply, because without the State, who would buy it?
ReplyDeleteWho but States would finance that stuff?
Remember, in a fully private world, there would be no countries as such, and hence War - not violence - would be impossible.
In a fully privatized world, armed conflict would look like Mafia wars. Lethal, but largely precise.
:)
James,
ReplyDeleteFYI my post was making a mockery of the idea. But nevertheless, you're right.