The military balance in the Middle East
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Bibliographic Information
The military balance in the Middle East
Praeger, 2004
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"Published in cooperation with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C."--Cover
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Noted Middle East military expert Anthony H. Cordesman details the complex trends that come into play in determining the military balance in a region that has become so critical to world peace. This ready resource provides a wealth of information on military expenditures and major arms systems, as well as qualitative trends, by country and by zone. However, as Cordesman stresses, because the greater Middle East is more a matter of rhetoric than military reality, mere data summarizing trends in 23 different countries is no substitute for a substantive explanation. Using tables, graphs, and charts, this study explores every aspect of the regional military balance with attention to sub-regional balances, internal civil conflicts, and low level border tensions.
The Middle East is certainly one of the most militarized areas in the world, and changes in technology, access to weapons of mass destruction, and political instability contribute to a situation that has long been in constant flux. Some of the regional flashpoints covered in this study include the Maghreb (North Africa); the Arab-Israeli conflict (dominated by Israel versus Syria); and the Gulf (divided into those states that view Iran as the primary threat and those who lived in fear of Iraq). Internal conflicts, such as those in Mauritania, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Yemen, increasingly dominate regional tensions. In addition, border conflicts within the region and with neighboring countries could further aggravate the delicate balance.
Table of Contents
Introduction Defining the Middle East Military Balance The Changing Face of the Middle East Military Balance "The Most Militarized Area in the World": Regional Military Expenditures, Arms Transfers, and Manpower Resources North Africa and the Maghreb The Arab-Israel States The Gulf Military Balance and Force Developments in the Northern Gulf Force Developments in the Southern Gulf Gulf Conventional Military Forces Terrorist and Extremist Movements Proliferation and Weapons of Mass Destruction Other Books by Anthony H. Cordesman
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