US President Donald Trump has made economic nationalism the centrepiece of his political agenda. ‘Made in America’ is one his touchstones. Trade wars are part of his arsenal. Last month, in the shadows of the White House, Trump met with his advisers to cement a renewed approach – sell more weapons around the world.

Other sectors of the US economy might be stagnant, but the arms industry is booming. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI), US arms exports increased by 25% from 2013 to 2017. The United States now accounts for over a third of total arms exports. The arms deals, since 1975, have escalated as was dramatically shown by a video made by Will Geary based on SIPRI data. It is overwhelming to see the tracks of these weapons sales down to Latin America, for instance, at a time when dictatorships ruled the continent. There was no concern for human rights at that time. Nor will there be any concern in the future.

Trump’s economic advisor Peter Navarro has insisted upon as much deregulation as possible in the arms sector. The new policy, overseen by Navarro, will allow the US government to hasten arms deals approvals to foreign countries, dismiss human rights concerns and partly shift the burden of arms promotion from the private corporations to the US presidency.