The Persian Gulf Arms Race and the Changing Security Bargain – meforum.org

The Persian Gulf Arms Race and the Changing Security Bargain  meforum.org

Wider Defense Collaborations May Make Trade-Offs Between Defense and Development More Consequential For decades, the Gulf Arab states have been buying the most sophisticated military and defense systems from their Western allies, rendering the region one of the world’s most lucrative defense markets. Yet these purchases have not secured them against recent attacks, presenting a fundamental dilemma: Should they keep buying high-end weapons and technologies, marketed as attractive acquisitions by Western arms contractors and suppliers? How have these weapons secured them in the current war, and what kind of defense would they need in future conflicts? Finally, how can they balance military-security spending with the fiscal demands of their domestic economic and social priorities?

The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 exposed weaknesses in the regional security architecture: a lack of manpower, strategic depth, command structures, intelligence access, and early-warning capabilities. While Kuwait’s defenses collapsed within hours, the broader Gulf Arab region also did not have integrated military mechanisms for a collective response. The U.S.-led liberation of Kuwait demonstrated the advantages of airpower, stealth, and sophisticated communications. The U.S.-led liberation of Kuwait demonstrated the advantages of airpower, stealth, and sophisticated communications.In 2003, the U.S. military was able to overrun Baghdad with remarkable speed, convincing the Gulf Arab states that military transformation through technological superiority, precision guided munitions and intelligence, could