Saeed Kamali Dehghan - Global arms trade reaches highest point since cold war era
The global transfer of
major weapons systems rose over the past five years to the highest volume since
the end of the cold war as the Middle East nearly doubled its imports,
according to an annual report on arms sales. The Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
said on Monday that more weapons were delivered between 2012 and 2016 than any
other five-year period since 1990. Saudi Arabia, which
leads a military intervention in Yemen that has cost hundreds of civilian
lives, was the world’s second largest importer after India, increasing its
intake by 212%, mainly from the US and the UK.
Asia was the main
recipient region in the world as India dwarfed regional rivals, China and Pakistan, by accounting
for 13% of the global imports. While India received most of its arms from
Russia, the Saudis relied heavily on US arms. US and Russia together supplied
more than half of all exports. China, France and Germany were also among the
top five exporters. “With no regional arms control instruments in
place, states in Asia continue to expand their arsenals,” said Siemon Wezeman,
senior researcher at Sipri’s arms and military expenditure programme. Vietnam,
in particular, dramatically increased imports by 202%, which puts it in the
list of 10 largest importers compared to its hitherto position in the 29th
place.
“While China is
increasingly able to substitute arms imports with indigenous products, India remains dependent
on weapons technology from many willing suppliers, including Russia, the USA,
European states, Israel and South Korea,” Wezeman said. Despite staggering
figures in the Middle East, which includes a 245% increase in the imports of
arms by Qatar, Iran, which is under an arms embargo, received only 1.2% of
total arms transfers to the region. In 2016, Iran took delivery of S-300 air defence
missile systems from Russia in its first significant import of major
weapons system since 2007.
The Iranian foreign
minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, responding to Donald Trump’s warning that the
US was putting
Iran “on notice” after testing a ballistic missile, had complained
that “we spend a fraction of their expenditure on weapons,” referring to Iran’s
Arab neighbours. “Over the past five
years, most states in the Middle East have turned primarily to the USA and
Europe in their accelerated pursuit of advanced military capabilities”, said
Pieter Wezeman, another senior researcher at Sipri.
The high demands for
arsenals in the Middle East was in contrast with the plummeting oil prices.
“Despite low oil prices, countries in the region continued to order more
weapons in 2016, perceiving them as crucial tools for dealing with conflicts
and regional tensions.” China solidified its
position as a top-tier supplier by increasing exports by 6.2% compared to 3.8%
in the period between 2007 and 2011, while Germany decreased its exports by 36%
between the same period. Algeria was the largest importer in Africa.
The US’s main three
customers were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Saudi Arabia
was particularly a lucrative market for the UK, which sold almost half of its
total weapons to the monarchy. “The USA supplies
major arms to at least 100 countries around the world — significantly more than
any other supplier state,” said Aude Fleurant, director of the Sipri’s arms and
military expenditure programme. “Both advanced strike aircraft with cruise
missiles and other precision-guided munitions and the latest generation air and
missile defence systems account for a significant share of US arms exports.”
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