Middle East Accounts For One-Third Of Global Weapons Imports

The war-torn Middle East accounted for 32 percent of global weapons imports between 2013 and 2017, a jump of 103 percent in absolute value compared to the previous five-year period. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which monitors global arms transfers, released its latest data Monday showing that nearly half of U.S. weapons exports over the past half-decade went to the region, with Saudi Arabia, in particular, increasing its arms purchases by a staggering 225 percent. Riyadh—the world’s second-largest weapons importer behind India—accounted for 10% of global purchases, with both Egypt and the United Arab Emirates having each acquired more than 4% of all arms sold over the time frame. By contrast, Iran, which is engaged in the wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, did not make the list of the 40 largest importers, accounting for only 1% of weapons sales to the region. Tehran remains under an international arms embargo and thus relies on internal production and its proxies to project its military power throughout the Middle East. For its part, Israel increased its imports by 125%, receiving arms mainly from the U.S., Germany and Italy.