Arms race in the Maghreb

Recently, the United Nations sent a warning to the countries of the Maghreb, including the intensification of the arms race, which proved that this race is to the point of concern to the international community, its implications for the future of relations in the Maghreb - the Maghreb and Asttbaath security and stability in North Africa and the western basin of the Mediterranean in general. And possibly the United Nations warning that went not for the fact that the Maghreb countries are ranked among the twenty most heavily armed countries in the world. According to the annual report of the "Institute of the Stockholm International Peace Research" accounted for four Maghreb countries (Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia), one third of the arms trade on the African continent in the past year, was a strong sign of the severity of an arms race in the region. In spite of the cold war at the international level is still in control of the environments in which they live the Arab Maghreb countries, the situation of chronic conflict and estrangement, not reflected in the political maneuvering in the corridors of the United Nations, international organizations, but also received a long shadow on the relations with the barons in arms the world. It could be argued that the alliances of old legacy of the Cold War arms race continues to lead the countries of the region, the Algerian army, which its leaders and cadres used Russian weapons, the Covenant with a new ally, the former entered into deals with a variety of large and Moscow. As well as it did when Libya held its deal to sign with Russia in November (November) the last occasion of the visit of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to Moscow, bought in Morocco advanced aircraft F-16 of the United States of America.

Major military deals

It is useful to stop at the most deals have been concluded in the last two years to realize the speed of the escalating arms race, the Maghreb, has culminated in a visit by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to Moscow on November 2 (November) the current deal to buy 12 military advanced fighter aircraft MiG-29 MiG-29SMT and 12 other Sukhoi-30 or Su-30MK2 Kew, tanks T-90, in addition to a submarine or two of the 636 operating system a dual electric and diesel. The deal also included the acquisition of air defense systems, long-term and short-term. This is the deal, valued at 2.2 billion dollars, one of the biggest military deals with Russia, which entered into an Arab country in recent years, a further sign of the return of the powerful Russian arms to the Arab markets. He was entered into a similar deal with France during the visit of French President Sarkozy to Tripoli in July (July) last year related to the modernization of military and civilian aircraft and the purchase of coastal and Kefrat radars. The deal included the modernization of military aircraft of the 30 Mirage F-1 was purchased from France to Libya before the imposition of a ban on the export of arms to them. The range value of the deal offered by all of the "Ostrak" and "Dassault Aviation", between 10 and Euro 20 million per aircraft, depending on the level of innovation required by the Libyan side. Characterized by this category of aircraft to be equipped with air-to-air "Magic." The group is working, "EADS" (EADS) for manufacturing and the military is also on the processing Libya radar system to monitor the border and oil sites. Deals is a strong indication that Libya is back in force to the arms market after the lifting of UN sanctions in 2004. The Libyan leadership has benefited from the fruits of the oil boom, and improve its relations with major countries after the lifting of UN sanctions, in order to renew its arsenal of weapons, consisting mainly of Russian manufacture, and maintain a significant military superiority on the neighbors. And this is to ensure excellence in the pursuit of prestige to impose on the African continent, especially in the north, and on the Sahel and Sahara, which it considers vital area, Colonel Gaddafi to power levels. Before the Libyan arms deal with Russia, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika at the end of a visit to Moscow in 2007, a deal worth 7.5 billion dollars for the purchase of 28 military aircraft of the Sukhoi-30 or Q-and Su-30MK fighter 36 MiG-29 MiG-29SMT and 16 aircraft training of the Yak-130, in addition to 300 tanks T-90 S T-90S and radars, and quantities of other munitions. The deal also included the eight systems of surface-to-air Tonguski S-300 PMU Almaz-Antei and renovation of 250 tanks Algerian T-72 and an unknown number of anti-tank missiles and Kornet Métis, as well as to carry out the maintenance of warships of the Russian-Algerian. It can be said that the Algerians are encouraged to continue to acquire weapons from Russia, which is the step taken by Moscow to cancel the debt Almtkhaldp Bzmthm, estimated at seven billion dollars. The deal coincided, which is the largest Russian harvested since the collapse of the former Soviet Union, Morocco, with the signing of a deal to purchase 28 advanced U.S. military aircraft from the F 16. It is no secret that the Russian arms deal for the Algeria sharpened drag race between the warring over the Sahara to the accumulation of the most modern weapons and better equipment. The Tunisians Vinfqon arms less than their neighbors to spend the first two main reasons that the country is rich in natural resources such as are under way to Libya and Algeria, and the second since independence, it chose to limit the armed forces in a purely defensive role, drawing on alliances with major Western powers to prevent any danger may come from neighbors. Tunisia, however, has developed its military cooperation with Italy, one of the main suppliers of weapons, as he visited the Italian Defense Minister Arturo Parisi Tunisia has recently focused his talks with local officials on ways to strengthen security in the Mediterranean and the fight against terrorism. Also provided by France and the United States, Tunisia defensive weapons. In Mauritania, the military continues to play a central role in the life of the country and accounting for expenditure on arms and ammunition to a significant section of the budget, despite the scarcity of oil resources and agriculture. However, the decline in military spending since its withdrawal from the desert and out of regional conflicts in the year 1979. The renewed interest in military spending with the expansion of the so-called "international war on terrorism", as its troops are involved in regular military exercises with neighboring countries and the U.S. troops, the last of which continued for months under the auspices of the United States in the region close to the financial capital, Bamako, with troops from 13 African countries. The objective of the maneuvers, dubbed "Flintlock 2008" to enhance the combat readiness in the fight against armed groups that spread in the south of the Sahara, which has stepped up its operations in targeted areas Mauritanian foreign nationals, especially French. It is believed that the proliferation of kidnappings and killings carried out by those groups in the north-east Mauritania, will lead to increased spending on the military to rearm and to develop its performance in the face of groups.

Military strategies opposite

Arms deals, but can not decide and conclude as soon as possible and at the risk of such an emergency. It can not come in response to a neighbor or by the opposing, but fall under the general strategy of the State. Each state regulates the system of comprehensive national security in the light of the identification of threatened and where the danger can come (by sea or by land or air?) And the extent of the influence of the limits established by the State for itself (which is usually linked to economic interests). The strategy to be determined in the light of the country's national resources and sources of external support fixed (ie non-bad when appropriate). Thus, taking the overall strategy of national defense, which includes all the wiring from the army and armed police, gendarmerie and other formulated on the basis of military strategy, which belong to the army (or armies by country) and the Strategic Plan, including derivations, a military doctrine that will enable the development of appropriate operational plans. At the forefront of those plans curriculum Combat (which depends on the armor for some countries or bombers or Navy Kefrat for other countries, according to the source of danger) and the main branches of the defense. Egypt, for example, do not adopt the traditional tripartite division (land, sea and air), but on the four branches: air defense, maritime, aviation and field armies. The engineering component forces defined in the arms deals, if the army was composed of four teams and six armored infantry squads will be different from the weaponization of another army, consisting of two mechanized infantry division and the armored and three infantry squads. Therefore, the equipment associated with the type of formations, as the latter imposes the need for specific types of weapons. Those needs can be filled either by the domestic manufacturing (which depends on the availability of raw materials and experience, as well as a minimum of external cooperation), or by donations. And usually does not include the donation of advanced generations of weapons, as well as the donor is expected to return in a politically and even militarily (facilities or bases). Can also fill the needs of the military also deals with the soft, and this type of transactions of non-oil countries such as Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, as they are unable to pay the price immediately, it had to remain within the old systems, which constitutes a restriction on the movement. The industrialized countries do not sell weapons to the latest generation of its transactions in the case of soft, they would prefer to retain it for its forces and its allies. But even in the case of transactions was paid in full circumvent the producing countries to get rid of the bad quality and adhere to the specifications listed in the contract, which the Russians attempted to surrender to the Algerian MiG-29 as found by a technical fault, the dawn of the crisis almost led to the suspension of the deal, "Sukhoi" also . He denied a source close to the Algerian Ministry of Defense report published by Russian newspapers that the agreement between Algeria and Russia in the acquisition of the aircraft "Sukhoi" stalled. And come to the "tests" that the case of a defect may be detected in the Algerian experts aircraft that Algeria had been received from Moscow a "Mig", and the obligation to stop it Sahumic deal "Sukhoi" to force the Russians to repair the defect. It turned out later that Algeria will receive aircraft "Sukhoi" in the sunset and was replaced by aircraft "MiG-29", which was requested by one of the other aircraft "Sukhoi", which raise the volume of transaction of this type to 56 aircraft, according to a new agreement reached Algiers and Moscow. It is likely that it was a pursuit of the 40 "Sukhoi-30, or as a" design company "Iircot", and 16 manhunt particular type of training weyak 130.

International dimensions

Military analysts believe that such transactions to strengthen its strategic presence of Russia and the United States in the region, is among those analysts in a "Jens information" (Jane's Information Group), Alex Vatinka and champagne satin Richard, who said that Russian leaders understand that the open transactions to strengthen relations with Arab countries which are at the forefront of customers of Russian weapons. Russian military industries have become the opinion in the Arab world, more than ever before, the market ready to absorb more of their products. It was always second or third among the top suppliers of arms in the Middle East, France and Britain. The Russians were able to register an important point when he persuaded the French to the selection of Libya, MiG-29 fighter jets instead of "Rafale" French multi-disciplinary and helicopters, "Tiger" of war, which are manufactured of the "Eurocopter" Eurocopter and Paris, which was trying to persuade the Libyans purchased. The French were delayed in the fruits of the variables following the lifting of the ban on the export of arms to Libya, tried to "gain the time lost" by the special role played by France in the settlement of the crisis in the Bulgarian nurses who were prisoners in Libya, and especially during the visit, Gaddafi to Paris, but the harvest was weak. Short form of the arms race a major input for the game of influence exercised by the three major powers in the region, the United States, Russia and France, which invests the conflict Moroccan - Algerian Sahara as far as possible, as well as the aspirations of Gaddafi to play a regional role in the African continent, to make the region one of the major markets weapons. In spite of the success achieved by the Americans in winning the friendship of the countries competing in the camp during the Cold War, such as Libya and Algeria, and cut oil deals and the significant trade, the Russians were more of them in the promotion of professional and lay down their weapons.