Russia spends on people, US on offensive weapons: American journalist

The United States and its Western allies are pouring billions of dollars in their offensive weapons capability, while Russia is spending money on developing its country and social programs, an American activist and radio host in California says.

Rodney Martin, who is the chairman of the American Nationalist Association, and a host on the American Nationalist Network, the Association’s internet radio station, made the remarks in a phone interview with Press TV on Saturday.

“While the United States and Western nations, that are members of NATO, pour billions of dollars into missile systems and offensive weapons, the citizens in their own countries are living in squalor,” Martin said.

“Their education systems and programs are in horrific conditions, their infrastructure is in horrific conditions, social programs and social dynamics are in horrific conditions,” he added.

“You can contrast that with that of the Russian Federation. Between 2008 and 2012, the Russian Federation essentially halved -- cut by half -- its offensive weapons capability,” stated Martin, a former US Congressional staffer.

“So you look at who is more interested in world peace in terms of action, and not words,” he emphasized.

“Russia has invested large sums of funds in developing its country, and developing its social programs, and assisting other countries, and has actually cut its offensive weapons capability, while the West -- and NATO -- has expanded its offensive weapons capability at the expense of its own people,” Martin pointed out.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday called on Washington to honor its pledge of dismantling the US-led missile system across Europe following the successful conclusion of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries.

“We all remember when in April 2009 in Prague, President Obama said that if the Iranian nuclear issue was settled, there would be no need in creating an air defense system in Europe,” Lavrov said.

“That is why today we have drawn the attention of our US colleagues to this fact (the cancellation of the creation of air defense system in Europe). We shall be waiting for the reaction,” he added.

Martin said that “the term ‘hypocrites’ come to mind when we look at the United States and NATO and the West, when you look at peace and peace-makers.”

“They are certainly not interested in peace and being peace-makers, they are engaged in state-sponsored terrorism, they are engaged in economic terrorism,” he stated.

“But they have a quite a media machine in terms of the Hollywood, and to a lesser degree in Europe, particularly the BBC, and the German media spinning for them, to make them look like the good guys, when in fact the opposite is true,” the analyst concluded. 

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