The truth about the balance of power in the middle east. Increasing global defense spending would continue to create opportunities for. No middle eastern state is currently spending the resources necessary to full sustain the modernization of its existing force structure. In assessing the current arabisraeli military arab states, from undertaking military action to balance, a variety of complex factors should be taken achieve political objectives. The study focuses on chinas relations with two of its key partners in the middle east. Middle east and africa congressional research service summary after a more than a decade and a half of combating al qaeda aq in afghanistan and pakistan, the united states faces a diverse array of threats from al qaeda affiliates in the middle east. The military balance is the international institute for strategic studies annual assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics of 170 countries worldwide. Memb is defined as middle east military balance rarely. Anthony h cordesman noted middle east military expert anthony h.
The militarization of the middle east the principal targets of american antipathy in recent years have been middle eastern. Irans plans to transform the middle east military balance. Testimony submitted to the senate armed services committee. Militarization of the middle east, the persian gulf excerpted. Conventional strategic military capabilities in the middle. For waltz and other theorists who espouse a realist view of international politics, the middle east faces a twopronged challenge to. Cordesmans the military balance in the middle east is a useful, readable reference that presents a factual layout of the quantitative and qualitative trends in the military balance from the most heavily armed region in the worldhe provides the reader with a good knowledge base on which to build expertise in a specific country. Those who came to know tony cordesman as military analyst for abc during desert storm will know what to expect from this monumental book. Us security commitments to states in the middle east, ranging from formal military agreements to more rhetorical declarations of interest. Chairman, ranking member reed, and members of the committee. The first page of the pdf of this article appears above. The studies are divided by region and subregion, and cover the trends in conventional forces, nuclear forces, arms proliferation, military efforts and spending, procurement and arms import activity, force modernization, and force.
However, in practice irans arms industry does not appear to be able to produce genuinely modern military systems. Tracing the origin of the military forces in each middle east country, tony cordesman discusses current security developments and provides a qualitative and quantit. While the us sought to organise its arab allies in a coalition called the middle east strategic alliance mesa, the venture faced significant obstacles, notably rifts between arab states themselves. Section two assesses the posited us interests in the. To learn about our use of cookies and how you can manage your cookie settings, please see our cookie policy. Apr 08, 2016 the central argument of the book is that the u. The notion of distinct arab nationhoods can be traced back to events surrounding both world. Both regional and international actors have begun to take advantage of the power vacuum created by the us and europe to expand their military presence with. His comments reflect a dawning realization in the face a growing iranian nuclear threat. International comparisons of defence expenditure and military personnel. Stretching from morocco to iran, the area has seen numerous. We have analyzed each country to rank the most powerful militaries in the middle east. Examining the iran deal and the military balance in. Sources are the united states excess defense articles eda database inss israels middle east military balance, world small arms inventory, sipri trade registres and the military balance in the middle east by csis, and armyguide.
Chairman john mccain opening statement on jcpoa and. This comprehensive new analysis goes far beyond todays headlines and the basic facts and figures on the military forces in the region. The military balance in the middle east ebook, 2004. Kuwait is a major non nato ally and the country served as a base for over 20,000 us troops during the iraq war.
The military balance in the middle east an analytic overview. Three factors have driven the improved military capabilities of the gulf cooperation council gcc states since the mid1990s. The middle east military balance 20002001 the mit press. The russian factor in the middle east military balance. Heres what democrat presidential candidates said about the us military at last nights debate. Military expenditures and arms transfers, major arms by country and zone, and qualitative trends anthony h. We welcome our distinguished witnesses and thank them for joining us today. Chairman john mccain opening statement on jcpoa and the military balance in the middle east august 5, 2015 the committee meets today for our third oversight hearing on the joint comprehensive plan of action, which the united states and other major powers have signed with iran. Zeev eytan is the author of the middle east military balance 19881989 0. Conventional strategic military capabilities in the middle east 3 production of advanced weapons. Laneswig senior fellow and managing director, the washington institute for near east policy.
Us troops to resume antiisis operations in iraq after nonbinding vote to remove them. Two institutions the jaffee center for strategic studies and anthony cordesman continue their tradition of producing authoritative tomes on middle east military issues. The military balance is an authoritative assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics of 171 countries. The middle east strategic alliance has a long way to go. Chairman john mccain opening statement on jcpoa and the.
Publication the military balance 2018 february 2018. The latter is drawing the world closer and raising challenges that no one country, even as powerful as the united states, could solve on its own. Policy congressional research service 2 actors to influence middle eastern partners and political military outcomes. Iranintelligence is the premiere source for information on irans nuclear program and the international effort against tehrans actions. Understanding the dynamics of security in the middle east requires detailed information on the military capabilities of the regions countries. When nations join the european union they merge their government into. Although israel and its arab neighbors have taken many steps toward peace in recent years, the middle east remains an uncertain and volatile region. Cutting edge analysis and data on defence spending, military power, troop deployments and equipment programmes. Middle east give way to competition for regional dominance. Modern equipment of the royal moroccan army is a list of equipment currently in service with the moroccan army. Nonetheless, with petrodollars to spend, many countries of the region will keep on racing after the elusive goal of security through arms. With its wealth of current, hardtofind information, the middle east military balance offers an authoritative and indispensable guide to military capabilities in the middle east. The military balance 2016 books pics download new books.
Chairman john mccain opening statement on jcpoa and the military balance in the middle east the committee meets today for our second oversight hearing on the joint comprehensive plan of action, which the united states and other major powers have signed with iran. All journal articles featured in the military balance vol 120 issue 1. Military expenditures and arms transfers, major arms by country and zone, and qualitative trends. Read full publication read the full publication examining the iran deal and the military balance in the middle east report using our online ereader tool. The projection of military power by china is thus greatly improved in an extremely neuralgic position, with the ability to threaten to close the entrance to the red sea and the suez canal in case its expansion into the east and south china seas should be challenged. Zeev eytan author of the middle east military balance 19881989. Cutting edge analysis and data on defence spending.
Apr 14, 2003 the military balance in the middle east an analytic overview. Despite withdrawal of us forces from iraq, kuwait along with qatar has remained an important regional hub, with. Inss estimate based on data from the washington institute for near east policy, the international institute of strategic studies, and tel aviv universitys jaffee center for strategic studies. The middle east military balance 20002001 bcsia studies in. Military expenditures and arms transfers, major arms by country and zone, and qualitative trends april 14, 2003. Feb 26, 2015 the truth about the balance of power in the middle east. A new balance of power in the middle east geopolitical monitor. Economic impact of selected conflicts in the middle east. The middle east military balance is prepared annually by the jaffee center for strategic studies in tel aviv. The middle east military balance has appeared annually since 1983 and constitutes the most reliable, detailed source on the makeup of military forces from morocco to iran.
Hearing on the joint comprehensive plan of action jcpoa and the military balance in the middle east the permanent revolution more than three. The joint comprehensive plan of action jcpoa and the. The military balance in the middle east book, 2004. Recent developments in the middle east show a disturbing trend to add to all the other disturbing trends that have emerged in the region since the arab spring began in 2011. Encyclopedia of jewish and israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from antisemitism to zionism.
Bank mergers spread in middle east banking gulf news. Changes in the strategic landscape, such as in the middle east and north africa, may also make it more difficult for western states to assume that they will be able to rely on the assis tance of regional partners in the same way as before. The united states should gradually withdraw its forwarddeployed military forces from the persian gulf region. It is based on data from many sources, including some that are unavailable to other institutes. In this paper, we examine the economic impact that selected war episodes in the middle east had on conflict and in neighboring countries. These studies summarize the global military balance in graphic and tabular form, as well as extensive analysis of realworld warfighting capabilities. Regional security debates remained dominated by the potential for escalation between the united states, israel and saudi arabia on the one hand and iran and its. The 10 strongest military forces in the middle east. The arab world needs a collective security architecture. The project is a track ii unofficial activity which indirectly supports the middle east peace process. The russian factor in the middle east military balance 3 founded estimations, as much as 40% of the soviet budget. The middle east military balance 20002001 bcsia studies in international security feldman, shai, shapir, yiftah on. Through the transfer of securityrelated equipment and weaponry, moscow also facilitated the transformation of the regime into an.
How can one perceive of regional balance of power in the new middle east in light of the accelerating paces of globalization. If russia seems to have barged back into the middle east, america opened the door. Middle east military balance jewish virtual library. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Russia and eurasia, 1 1 1 1 1 the military balance 1 1 1. Pdf merger and acquisition activity in the middle east and. The joint comprehensive plan of action jcpoa and the military balance in the middle east. Most powerful militaries in the middle east business insider.
The military balance in the middle east center for. Military balance center for strategic and international studies. Changing conventional military balance in the gulf the. The withdrawal, which the military said began with equipment removal on friday, is just the latest instance of a broader american disengagement from the middle east that could have lasting effects. Certainly, in the short term, the vienna agreement upsets the balance of power in the middle east, enhancing the strategic rivalry between the ayatollahs and the shiite sunniisraeli front. The middle east military balance, 20012002 the mit press. The goal of this work is to advance understanding of the regional implications of the iraq war by offering an assessment of trends, threats, and opportunities in the middle east, drawing from exten. Balance of power and the new middle east official website. This policy paper is part of the arms control and security improvement in the middle east workshop series, sponsored by the institute on global conflict and cooperation igcc of the university of california. List of equipment of the royal moroccan army wikipedia. The studies are divided by region and subregion, and cover the trends in conventional forces, nuclear forces, arms proliferation, military efforts and spending, procurement and arms import activity, force modernization, and force quality.
Not only is it seen as the strongest military force in. Kenneth waltz quipped that power begs to be balanced while defending the notion that proliferation of nuclear weapons technology to iran would stabilize the middle east. This report seeks to provide an overview of existing studies on military forces and civil military relations in the middle east, present important scholarly debates, identify important gaps in the literature, and highlight central topics for further research, focusing on arab countries. The military balance of power in the middle east journal. This study could help draw lessons and assess the potential impact of ongoing political conflicts on the respective economies in.
Military balance center for strategic and international. Detailed az entries list each countrys military organisation, personnel numbers, equipment inventories, and relevant economic and demographic data. Its a great honor to be invited to testify before this august committee and its distinguished members. Cordesman sees much military spending as enormously wasteful, but notes that most military casualties in the middle east have been caused by lowtechnology, often obsolete weapons. The study concludes that china has adopted a wary dragon strategy toward the middle east, whereby china is reluctant to commit substantial diplomatic or military resources to protect its growing energy and other economic interests.
The military balance 2018 includes new arms orders and deliveries graphics, a wall chart focused on strategicforces modernisation in china, russia and the united states, and thematic texts on chinese and russian airlaunched weapons, artificial intelligence and defence, and. Download full examining the iran deal and the military balance in the middle east report. This ranking does not count foreign powers like the us or their support, though we. In the beginning of the twentyfirst century, the united states was a country with almost indisputable superior military power, called a.
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