Soaring arms sales spur wars in W Asia

Foreign arms sales to West Asia have gained momentum since 2015, a bumper year for profits, and are fuelling wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.  Last year, the US earned $43 billion in overall foreign military sales, $13 billion over the average in previous years, and $17 billion from sales to countries in this war-ravaged region. Such burgeoning sales make the US, which accounts for 33% of global sales, the planet’s dominant arms dealer.

Over the past four years, West Asia’s already high demand for arms soared: sales to Qatar rose by 279%, to Saudi Arabia by 275%, and to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by  35%. Nearly 10% of all US arms sales were to Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia has made deals with all exporters for $10 billion for 2016, the UAE for $3.085 billion, Iraq for $2.283 billion, Egypt for $2.2032 billion, Algeria for $1.754 billion, and Qatar for $1.692 billion. The US also provides four countries in this region with arms on the basis of grants. Israel, naturally, is the top recipient with $3.8 billion, Egypt is next with $1.3 billion, Jordan $350 million, and Iraq $150 million.

Canada has become the second largest arms exporter to West Asia, securing $2.7 billion in sales during 2015. The previous Conservative government signed a deal for a $15 billion sale of armoured vehicles with Saudi Arabia, creating controversy for the current Liberal government which has upheld the agreement.

Britain is not far behind the US and Canada in sales. Since early 2015, Britain has sold to Saudi Arabia $4.56 billion in military hardware, some for use in the Yemen war where a Riyadh-led coalition is fighting Shia Houthi rebels who have seized the north of the country and driven into exile Saudi-backed President Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Britain – which accounts for 12% of global arms sales – secured total orders for $10.08 billion last year.

Two-thirds of British arms exports are destined for West Asia. Over the past two years London has agreed to sell the UAE weapons worth $500 million, $222 million to Qatar, $157 million to Oman, and $31.4 million to Bahrain. Over the past three years, Britain has provided $589.5 million in weapons to Turkey and $152 million to Egypt. Between 2010-16, Britain sold $107.4 million worth of arms to Israel.

Since the Syrian war began in 2011, Central and Eastern European countries have supplied Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, and Qatar with $1.35 billion in mainly small arms and ammunition; $93.6 million have gone to Saudi Arabia.

Until recently, the region did not buy from the Balkans, but Amnesty International says this materiel has been diverted to armed groups “accused of committing serious human rights violations.” Patrick Wilcken, a researcher for Amnesty, argues that such “transfers are illegal under the (UN Arms Trade Treaty of 2014) and other international laws and should cease immediately.”

Sale to jihadi groups
Exporters include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Monte-negro, Slovakia, Serbia, and Romania. Many of these weapons are being transferred to jihadis, notably al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, Ahrar al-Sham and Islamic State. 

Boxes, which had been used to transport Bulgarian ammunition to Saudi Arabia, have been found with insurgents in Syria. An anti-tank weapon made in the Balkans also appeared in Syria. Some weapons are reaching insurgents in Libya and Yemen. Although the worldwide arms trade is supposed to be regulated by national, European and international laws, there are no legal sanctions with which to punish violators. 

The Arms Trade Treaty, negotiated during 2012, was adopted by the UN General Assembly in April 2013 and came into force on December 24, 2014. The aim of the treaty is to prevent wea-pons – traded at the rate of $70 billion a year – from entering conflict areas and fuelling wars.

It is ironic, but hardly surprising, that the US in 2006 submitted the resolution leading to the treaty and then signed but failed to ratify it. So far, 87 states have acceded to the treaty, including five of the world’s top arms exporters – Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. In addition to the US, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Turkey, and the UAE signed but have not ratified the treaty.

Countries produce weapons for self-defence and domestic export arms to fund their development process and make money. In the wake of World War II, US President Dwight Eisenhower warned against the rise of the “military-industrial complex” which linked the US political establishment and its foreign policies to the promotion of arms sales.

As former overall commander of anti-Nazi forces in Europe, Eisenhower understood the dangers of this connection for both the producing and the consuming countries. The Arabs have, in particular, suffered from a longstanding arms race with Israel, which received weapons and equipment from the US, giving it an “edge” over all Arab antagonists. These days, unfortunately, the Arabs, Turks  and Iranians are arming to fight proxy wars destroying Syria, Iraq and Yemen.