The Middle East Military Balance 1992 1993

This annual reference provides a statistical study of military trends in the Middle East and a collection of essays analyzing the details and strategic significance of events in the region. The ninth annual review of the military forces and capacity of each state in the Middle East.

This annual reference provides a statistical study of military trends in the Middle East and a collection of essays analyzing the details and strategic significance of events in the region. The Middle East Military Balance 1993-1994 covers 1993 as well as the first half of 1994, covering amongst other topics the ensuing revolutionary breakthrough in Israeli-PLO relations, with its main focal points--the August 1993 Oslo Declaration of Principles (DOP), and the May 1994 Cairo agreement.

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.

Now in its seventh year, this annual review provides a detailed database on military forces and strategic developments in the Middle East. It offers statistics on populations, resources and military infrastructures, on armed forces and the military capacity of each state in the region, and on the Palestinian Liberation Organization. This year's volume contains essays on the activities of major armies in the Middle East, as well as in-depth analyses of fundamental strategic trends of particular relevance during the 1990s.

The sixth edition of this annual furnishes statistics on the population, resources, infrastructure, armed forces and military capacity of individual Middle East states. It also surveys strategic events in the region and assesses military balances among potential Middle East adversaries.

This annual reference provides a statistical study of military trends in the Middle East and a collection of essays analyzing the details and strategic significance of events in the region. This edition year's Balance includes a description of the violent civil disturbances in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. This, together with the fact that much additional data and analysis extend into 1988, justified making this the 1987-88 (rather than 1987) edition of the Middle East Military Balance.