Feb 26, 2015 the truth about the balance of power in the middle east. 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. In modern times, it also refers to the political state. Military balance center for strategic and international studies. The joint comprehensive plan of action jcpoa and the. Us military policy in the middle east chatham house. The military balance is an authoritative assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics of countries, published by the international institute for strategic studies iiss since 1959. 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 is produced by a dedicated team of professional analysts working in the iiss defence and military analysis programme dmap. While the literature on russia in the middle east is extensive, recent analysis has understandably focused on syria, giving less attention to moscows relations with other countries in the region. The middle east remains one of the worlds most volatile regions. In jewish biblical times, this name refers to the northern tribes, but also to the entire nation.
Apr 08, 2016 the central argument of the book is that the u. International institute for strategic studies, the military balance 2019, p. The joint comprehensive plan of action jcpoa and the military balance in the middle east. Three factors have driven the improved military capabilities of the gulf cooperation council gcc states since the mid1990s. Understanding the dynamics of these conflicts requires detailed information on the military capabilities of the regions countries. Ultimately, for moscow it is a matter of acquiring leverage to improve russias room to maneuver in the arabmuslim world and to. Detailed az entries list each countrys military organisation, personnel numbers, equipment inventories, and relevant economic and.
The total military expenditure of the countries in the middle east for which data is available also decreased. 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. The middle east military balance 20002001 the mit press. New arab military force to reckon with as little sparta. This paper seeks to analyze the future middle eastern military balance of power, in a time horizon of five to ten years. The middle east military balance is prepared annually by.
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. In 1902, the name appeared in a series of articles in a british daily newspaper. Understanding the dynamics of security in the middle east requires detailed information on the military capabilities of the regions countries. Chairman, ranking member reed, and members of the committee.
The truth about the balance of power in the middle east. Cordesman, anthony, military balance in the middle east, westport, praeger, 2004 chapter 2. 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. His comments reflect a dawning realization in the face a growing iranian nuclear threat. Included are military balances on asia, the middle east and north africa, the levant, nato and europe, the global nuclear balance, and proliferation of wmd. Uk military commitment to the region was demonstrated by exercise saif.
Irans strategy in the region underwent changes due to the regional trends that have often been triggered by external powers military intervention, as well as the administrative changes in tehran. The military balance in the middle east, by anthony c. Each balance differs in content to reflect the varying tensions and force trends in each respective region. Irans plans to transform the middle east military balance. The military balance in the middle east center for. Laneswig senior fellow and managing director, the washington institute for near east policy. The dominance of the iaf has come about through effective training, the weakness of its foes, and a flexible. The notion of distinct arab nationhoods can be traced back to events surrounding both world. The middle east military balance is prepared annually by the jaffee center for strategic studies in tel aviv.
To learn about our use of cookies and how you can manage your cookie settings, please see our cookie policy. These studies summarize the global military balance in graphic and tabular form, as well as extensive analysis of realworld warfighting capabilities. Chairman john mccain opening statement on jcpoa and the military balance in the middle east august 5, 2015. 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. 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 the international institute for strategic studies annual assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics of 170 countries worldwide. Libyas muammar qaddafi and irans ruhollah khomeini in the 1980s and iraqs saddam hussein and the international terrorist osama bin laden subsequently. East asia, north america, south america, and western europe.
Another troubled coalition was the saudiled islamic military counter terrorism coalition. Based on available data, defence spending in the middle east and north africa fell by 12% between 2017 and 2018, driven by cuts in saudi. Iranintelligence is the premiere source for information on irans nuclear program and the international effort against tehrans actions. The joint comprehensive plan of action and the military. The middle east military balance 20002001 bcsia studies. Military balance center for strategic and international. These efforts, supported by coalition airpower, specialforces activity and other military support, resulted in the territorial contraction and military attrition of the caliphate. The iranian factor in the emerging balance of power in the. Testimony submitted to the senate armed services committee. The project is a track ii unofficial activity which indirectly supports the middle east peace process. The militarization of the middle east the principal targets of american antipathy in recent years have been middle eastern. The changing military balance in the middle east pdf adobe drm can be read on any device that can open pdf adobe drm files. Military expenditure by the five largest spenders in the middle east and north africa, 200716. Encyclopedia of jewish and israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from antisemitism to zionism.
Despite the administrations intention, laid out in the 2018 national defense strategy, to refocus the u. Hearing on the joint comprehensive plan of action jcpoa and the military balance in the middle east the permanent revolution more than three. Changing conventional military balance in the gulf the. Scenarios of strategic balance and instability in the middle. Chairman john mccain opening statement on jcpoa and. Saudi arabia is by far the regions largest military spender in terms of budget size. 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 20002001 bcsia studies in international security. Scenarios of strategic balance and instability in the middle east dr. Us security commitments to states in the middle east, ranging from formal military agreements to more rhetorical declarations of interest. International institute for strategic studies 2018, the military balance 2018. Israels military dominates the middle east for 1 reason.
After world war ii, the term middle east became widely accepted, especially in academic institutions and government agencies peretz, 1968. Military strength pan the worlds third largest economy is the because more than 60 percent of the regions inhabitants are less than 25 years old, this. Mar 03, 2015 washingtons refusal to be dragged back into another ground war in the middle east is slowly bearing fruit, as turkey is cautiously reentering its former sphere of influence along its southern flank, counterbalancing the saudiiranian competition that has fueled much of the violence destabilizing the middle east. The middle east military balance 19992000 the mit press. Its a great honor to be invited to testify before this august committee and its distinguished members. The military and the state in the middle east theoretical. Alrawashdeh mohammad salim volumeii, issuev march 2016 58 the main causes of instability middle east instability as much by perceptions and expectations as critical economic and social pressures.
Noted middle east military expert anthony 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. It is based on data from many sources, including some that are unavailable to other institutes. The military balance in the middle east an analytic overview. France, italy, and japan also have presences of varying strength in djibouti. Section two assesses the posited us interests in the. The russian factor in the middle east military balance 3 founded estimations, as much as 40% of the soviet budget. A new balance of power in the middle east geopolitical monitor.
Nonetheless, with petrodollars to spend, many countries of the region will keep on racing after the elusive goal of security through arms. National threat perceptions in the middle east 2 1. The middle east, old and new in 1902, theodor herzl, the father of political zionism, pub lished a utopian novel entitled altneuland oldnew land. Military expenditures and arms transfers, major arms by country and zone, and qualitative trends april 14, 2003. Zeev eytan is the author of the middle east military balance 19881989 0. Two main schools of thought offshore balancing and forward engagement. The changing face of the middle east military balance. 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. Militarization of the middle east, the persian gulf excerpted. The military balance is an authoritative assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics of 171 countries.
As of late 2016, this lack of focus on russian activity in the broader middle east had left the important question of moscows regional strategy and. Military affairs the middle east strategic balance 20032004, ed. It is an essential resource for those involved in security policymaking, analysis and research. Home pakistan defence forum world military forum military forum military balance 2019 discussion in military forum started by truthseeker2010, apr 4, 2019. Stretching from morocco to iran, the area has seen numerous international and internal conflicts over the past decades. Military balance in the middle east oral presentation. Although israel and its arab neighbors have taken many steps toward peace in recent years, the middle east remains an uncertain and volatile region. Military activities in the greater middle east and africa tuesday, march 10, 2020. The military balance 2016 books pics download new books. The middle east military balance, 20012002 the mit press. Gaps in the data mean that total military spending in the middle east and. Detailed az entries list each countrys military organisation, personnel numbers, equipment inventories, and relevant economic and demographic data. Middle east military balance jewish virtual library. Historically, jews have continued to regard themselves as the true continuation of the ancient israelite nationalreligious community.
Memb is defined as middle east military balance rarely. The russian factor in the middle east military balance. Dmap actively develops and maintains links with international defence ministries, military and security forces, and defence industries, as well as members of the expert community. Uae alliance is the most dangerous force in the middle east today. A middle eastern balance of power emerges stratfor. This time, with the advice and help of karl yambert, our editor, we have pruned our account wherever we could, even as new events and trends had to be added.
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. There was one clear message at the opening ceremony at the international defense exhibition and conference, or idex, the middle east s largest military expo, held in february in abu dhabi. Yemens political transition, which began with much hope and optimism in 2011, collapsed by the fall of 2014 when houthi insurgents occupied sanaa, the capital, with the support of forces loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh. 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 arabisraeli states include egypt, israel, jordan, lebanon, syria.
For waltz and other theorists who espouse a realist view of international politics, the middle east faces a twopronged challenge to. The arab armies and the arabisraeli conflict recommended readings. Access to middle eastern oil was an important military concern during and after world war two, and the success of the marshall plan depended in part on increased middle eastern production in the early years of the cold war. Apr 14, 2003 the military balance in the middle east an analytic overview. The joint comprehensive plan of action and the military balance in the middle east. The establishment of a free iraq at the heart of the middle east will be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution, declared president bush on november 7, 2003. 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. Military expenditures and arms transfers, major arms by country and zone, and qualitative trends anthony h. The committee meets today for our third oversight hearing on the joint comprehensive plan of action, which the united states and.
Jcpoa and the military balance in the middle east prepared statement by philip h. The middle east military balance 20002001 bcsia studies in international security feldman, shai, shapir, yiftah on. Providing an indepth statistical study of military trends in the middle east and a collection of essays analyzing the details and strategic significance of recent events in the region. For about 20 years since the end of the cold war, the regional power dynamics of the middle east were relatively stable, and united states was the uncontested and dominant external power.