Why the global arms trade is booming
Global instability and a push from exporters have smaller countries stocking up
By M.F.
LAST month the emirate of Abu Dhabi held the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX), the Middle East's largest arms fair. The four-day event was a roaring success, playing host to 1,235 exhibitors and a record number of delegates. On the last day, the United Arab Emirates announced $5.2bn worth of weapons purchases from suppliers including France, Russia and America. The Gulf state’s hunger for big guns is hardly exceptional. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a think-tank, recently released data showing that transfers of big weapons in 2012-16 reached their highest volume for any five-year period since the end of the cold war. At a time when international trade is flagging, why is the global arms trade doing so well?
More from The Economist explains
Would legal doping change the Olympics?
The impact would be smaller—and worse—than proponents of drug-taking claim
Do vice-presidential picks matter?
If they have any effect on an election’s result, it is at the margins
What led to the bitter controversy over an Olympics boxing match?
A mighty punch by an Algerian boxer has revived a politically charged dispute
Is this the end of Project 2025, the plan that riled Donald Trump?
The right-wing blueprint for governing has taken centre-stage in America’s presidential campaign
Who should control Western Sahara?
France becomes the latest country to back Morocco’s claim
Who are the Druze, the victims of a deadly strike on Israel?
The religious minority has often been caught up in regional crossfire in the Middle East