Military Expenditure and Economic Growth in the Middle East

This book investigates the role and the impacts of armies and military regimes in the Middle East. It argues that one of the main causes of the slow and stagnated economic development in the region is high military expenditure perpetuated by strong grips of armies on the politics of the region.

Customer Reviews:

A subjective book which is not worth reading. The content is neither useful nor original.

By Z. Attar - April 30, 2010

In the introduction, Wahid claims that "Military Expenditure and Economic Growth in the Middle East" is about how the huge amount of military expenditures has hindered economic growth in Middle Eastern countries. The author indicates that the book will present the continuous military confrontations, wars, and political instability in the region following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The book includes data about military expenditures in the leading countries in the Middle East, namely Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Israel. The rest of the Middle East countries, such as Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia are excluded. The reason for their exclusion is explained by these countries' absence of interest or capability in having a dominant role in the region. Wahid claims that large amounts of military spending and strong armies have incurred both direct and indirect costs. Directly, military forces tend to dominate political life and prevent... read more