Inside Story

The Middle East’s new era of militarisation

Across the region, the number of armed groups are on the rise.

After years of revolutionary upheaval, the Arab world is in a state of flux. The old state system is on the verge of collapse. And an increasing number of non-state groups are using arms to achieve their aims.

Most have different ideologies; and some are being used as proxies by regional governments. But all of the region’s armed groups have a common source of strength: their weapons.

Are we witnessing the increasing militarisation of the Middle East and North Africa? And does it show the failure of the political process in the post-revolutionary period?

Presenter: Sami Zeidan

Guests:

Oliver Miles – a former British ambassador to Libya. 

Pieter Wezeman – senior researcher of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

Rami Khouri – director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.