Global recession? Defense spending on rise due to Mideast militaries
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
LONDON Ñ Middle East militaries are key to understanding the continued increase in global defense spending, a report said.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute concluded that Middle East states were fueling global defense spending with the procurement of aircraft, naval vessels and other major weapons platforms. SIPRI cited Algeria, Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
"Algeria's spending increased by 18 percent in real terms to $5.2 billion, the highest in Africa, driven by strong economic growth and a growing insurgency," SIPRI said.
In its annual yearbook, SIPRI reported a four percent global defense spending increase in real terms in 2008. China, Russia and the United States were cited as the leading defense spenders.
"Other regional powers Ñ particularly India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, Brazil, South Korea, Algeria and the UK Ñ also made substantial contributions to the total increase," the 2009 Yearbook on Armaments, Disarmament and International Security said.
SIPRI said military spending in the Middle East fell slightly in 2008. The report said this was temporary as many countries in the region were planning major arms purchases.
"In contrast, there was a large rise in Iraq, whose 2008 military budget was 133 percent higher in real terms than its 2007 spending," the report said. "While previously most funding for the Iraqi security forces came from the United States, this has been increasingly replaced by domestic funding. Iraq remains highly dependent on the USA for arms supplies, with numerous major orders planned."
Boeing has been deemed the leading weapons producer in 2007, with sales worth $30.5 billion. SIPRI said data from 2007 was deemed the most reliable for the study.
"The idea of the 'war on terror' has encouraged many countries to see their problems through a highly militarized lens, using this to justify high military spending," Sam Perlo-Freeman, head of the Military Expenditure Project at SIPRI, said.