Mideast Arms Buyers Stocking Up

“In the Middle East, we see that there are a number of countries that are investing quite heavily…in their arsenals and weapons,” Pieter Wezeman, of SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Program, told The Media Line.

Based on existing orders and known procurement plans, Saudi and Moroccan arms imports are expected to rise significantly in the coming years. Saudi Arabia recorded US $1.5 billion in arms imports in the past two years, Algeria had US $1.9 billion, Turkey US $1.1 billion, UAE US $1 billion, Egypt US $855 million, and Iraq US $851 million. Israel recorded US $191 million in arms imports, SIPRI said.

The institute also estimated that Hizbullah spent US $50 million on arms imports. All told, the Middle East accounted for one-sixth of the world’s arms imports while accounting for just one-fifteenth of the world’s population. “The states of the Middle East and North Africa have been regarded as potentially lucrative markets for arms exporters thanks to the resource revenue windfall of recent years. Interstate and internal tensions provide drivers for demand as well as give cause for concern,” the report said.