SIPRI (the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) has carried out a study comparing the sales of arms over the last five years with the five-year period that preceded it. These are some of its findings:

– The United States is by a long shot the number one global exporter. Russia, which comes in second place, only exports 60% the volume that the US does. France, which follows it, only exports a fifth of what the US does.

– Over the last five years, there has been huge increase in exports from the US, France, China, Israel, South Korea and Turkey.

– In contrast, exports from Russia and Germany have slightly decreased.

– India has considerably increased its imports, not vis-à-vis Pakistan which has reduced its, but compared to China. Today, India is the world’s number one importer. In the Pacific region, Indonesia and Australia are also increasing their arms purchases.

– The Expanded Middle East, whose states and societies the United States is trying to destroy under the cover of an epidemic of civil wars, has become the number one global market. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arabs Emirates have become the top three clients in the world, preceded only by India.

– Imports have drastically fallen in Africa apart from Algeria and Nigeria.

– They have also fallen in Latin America, especially, in Venezuela.

Translation
Anoosha Boralessa