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HomeNewsFear of Russia, China and Iran is increasing arms sales

Fear of Russia, China and Iran is increasing arms sales

an, the main reasoIn Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the rate of arms purchases has increased over the past five years. This sale of weapons has increased due to the activities of some countries in these regions. This has been reported in a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

According to the report, arms purchases in Europe have increased due to the Ukraine war. European countries bought twice as many weapons between 2019 and 2023 as compared to 2014 and 2018. Ukraine has been the leading arms buyer in Europe for the past five years. At this time, Ukraine ranks fourth among the top countries in the world in arms procurement.

In the last five years, Asian countries accounted for the largest number of arms exports, accounting for 37 percent of the world’s total arms exports. US allies Japan, Australia and India have bought the most arms in Asia. According to SIPRI senior researcher Peter Wegemn behind this is China’s ambitions in Asia.

For example, during this period, Japan increased its arms imports two and a half times. Along with other weapons they bought 400 long range missiles. They are capable of hitting North Korea and China.

US allies Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have bought the most weapons in the Middle East. The amount is 30 percent of the world’s total arms imports. “It’s not just fear of Iran that’s happening,” said Peter Wegemann. It is actually a wartime situation.’ Saudi Arabia has used these weapons to carry out operations in various countries including Yemen in the past 10 years. Regional rivalry is also a reason behind this arms trade. For example, in 2017, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates imposed sanctions on Qatar. Doha has quadrupled its arms imports since then. The country has imported weapons from USA, UK and France. a Professor of History of the American College of Greece, Konstantinos Philis, said that the insecurity of the allied countries of the West works on whether the United States will come forward if there is an attack on them. According to the countries, if they themselves are not strong militarily, then no one will come to their rescue.

The United States is the top arms exporter.

The United States has been the largest arms exporter in the past five years. From 2019 to 2023, the United States accounted for 42 percent of the world’s arms sales, while from 2013 to 2018, the country exported 32 percent of the world’s total arms demand. One reason for the increase in US arms exports is the country’s exportable fifth-generation fighter jets. Named ‘F-35 Lightning Two’, this fighter has radar evasion technology. That is, it can attack by avoiding the eyes of the enemy. Many of America’s allies are making changes to their air forces to adapt to this technology. European countries have ordered about 800 next-generation fighter jets, including the F-35, Eurofighter Typhoon and France’s Rafale.

Other Western countries are also profiting by selling weapons. France has increased arms exports by 50 percent to dislodge Russia from the list of top arms exporters. Italy also doubled arms exports. France’s warplane sales have also increased dramatically over the past five years. The country’s aircraft manufacturer Dassault sold 23 4.5 generation Rafale fighter jets from 2013 to 2018. It has increased to 94 in the last five years. At present, the company has 193 fighter aircraft forms in its hands. From 2019 to 2023, European countries, including the United Kingdom and Switzerland, exported 31 percent of the world’s arms. South Korea has also emerged as a major arms exporter during this period. The country has made a big deal to sell tanks, cannons, aircraft, and rockets to Poland. On the other hand, China exported only 5.8 percent of the world’s total arms trade in the last five years. 60 percent of this was exported to Pakistan. Bangladesh and Thailand received most of the remaining weapons. Russia was once a strong rival of the United States in arms sales. However, the country has exported only 11 percent of total weapons in the last five years. One of the reasons Russia’s arms exports are declining is that a large portion of its weapons are being used in Ukraine. Russia’s arms exports also fell slightly due to China. Beijing has been a major buyer of Moscow-made weapons since the 1990s. However, with time, they increased the production of weapons. India is also a long-time buyer of Russian weapons. But they have begun to question the country’s ability to deliver technology and weapons. Peter Wegeman, senior researcher at SIPRI, said, ‘It seems that India is moving away from Russian arms. Moscow has yet to supply New Delhi with some weapons as per the order. For example, Russia was supposed to supply nuclear-powered submarines to India this year or next. The list also includes some frigates and military aircraft.