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Regional Arms Control: Regional Stability Unbalanced by New Deals

© lawhawk

The current situation in the Middle East will only deteriorate further if countries continue to send new and more powerful weapons into the region. Since the mid-1950's the US, Soviet Union, and others poured tens of billions of dollars into bankrolling large armies. The Six Day War was fought partially because Egypt and Syria had purchased weapons from the Soviet Union to use against Israel and Israel was compelled to pre-emptively strike at these countries first.

The Yom Kippur, October 1973 War was a similar situation with the Syrians and Egyptians being armed with the latest and most modern weapons the Soviets had. The biggest difference between the weapons used during this conflict was the large proliferation of missile systems, both as surface to air and surface to surface weapons. During the Yom Kippur War, the surface to air missiles were credited with downing dozens of Israeli jets which were the primary deep strike threat Israel maintained.

In 1981, Israel launched a deep strike against Iraq's secret nuclear facility at Osirak that resulted in the destruction of Iraq's nuclear capability. The balance of power in the region could easily have been altered had Israel not destroyed the plant. Iraq had simultaneously been working on long range missile systems and building a large standing army and other weapons of mass destruction. These weapons may have been used during the Gulf War but it is almost certain that if Iraq had nuclear capabilities during the Gulf War, the Allied Coalition would have had to take other actions to safeguard against a nuclear exchange.

Each time countries seek to build up their nuclear capabilities, it endangers the balance of power in the region. Israel has to maintain a large army in proportion to its population in order to protect against various threats. This is a significant drain on its economy. Countries seek to upgrade their military weapons with the most modern systems and this in turn causes potential opponents and others in the region to counteract this buildup with a buildup of their own. It has been rumored, and I must thank Lily for bringing this to my attention, that Syria may be working on a massive arms deal with South Africa for a weapons deal. This is a massive program no matter how you cut it. Even under the guise of a defensive only posture, Israel can only accept this deal as a threat against Israeli security since any defensive weapon can be used offensively with modifications. I have just learned that Saudi Arabia just inked a $30 billion deal to get up to 100 American made F-16 jets and missiles and support systems. Although it is a great thing for the American economy, it does little to stabilize the region.

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