Quality of Life, Balance of Power, and Nuclear Weapons (2016)

Sound Bite

Whose power is waning, whose increasing? Who has the most nuclear assets in the Middle East? Updated annually, these tables of economic, demographic and military indicators establish the pecking order. This statistical annual presents fundamental data in three sections: (1) Quality of Life, (2) Balance of Power, and (3) Developed Market Economies since 1960. The author has managed to increase the number of countries tallied by writing proprietary software utilizing statistical regressions. The data about nuclear delivery systems and the number of nuclear warheads covers all nuclear powers, including estimates of the Israeli nuclear arsenal which usually do not appear in the press. By offering comparative statistics from developed countries, the author also brings a rational perspective to the debate on the supposed efficiency of private health insurance versus a 'public option' (single payer) and the notion that taxation stifles the economy. Is there a relationship between the economic basis and the political superstructure? Marx seemed to think so, and the author put this long-ago speculation to the statistical test as well.  

About the Book

Avakov s Quality of Life is far more complete other statistical publications. This year, the number of countries/territories with data about GDP and GDP per capita is increased to 254. The number of countries with population data is increased to 271. Generally, the list includes independent states and dependent territories which have at least some population. The list of dependent territories is taken from various yearly editions of the CIA World Factbook and from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Dependent_territory.The list of independent states is trickier. Some in this category (like frozen conflict states of the former U.S.S.R. and Northern Cyprus) are recognized only by a handful of states. Extreme examples - Donetsk People s Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, and Somaliland - are not recognized by anybody. The standard used is the sovereignty doctrine, which does not require international recognition but requires the existence of separate governments and control over their territories.Official estimates of Russian military expenditures distributed by U.S. and British intelligence communities are methodologically flawed, claiming to show military expenditures of other countries at market exchange rates while they apparently cite Russian military expense figures at purchasing power parities, thus distorting the comparison. Such deceptive practices of the Anglo-American intelligence services are counter-balanced in this title by presenting two different tables, showing military expenditures estimates both at market exchange rates and by purchasing power parities.Policy-makers, the U.S. Congress, and others who care about the foundations of power politics in the nuclear age will find facts that speak for themselves in this novel yearbook.