Trends in Military Buildup in the Middle East

The Middle East remains one of the world’s stormier regions, with fault lines running across ethnic groups, nation-states, communities, and religions. Even a cursory overview of the region yields a long list of active and nascent conflicts. Many countries in the region view Iran’s growing strength in the nuclear realm as the most severe threat to their security. Over the course of 2008 Iraq witnessed an improvement in security, but there is still no guarantee that this achievement is stable or that it will be possible to maintain it once American forces leave the country. At the same time, the conflict in Afghanistan is intensifying anew, and the growing involvement of NATO and US forces is expected to increase even further. Over the last three years, Israel was involved in two armed confrontations that were characterized as wars, both against sub-state organizations and elements supported by Iran. The weight of non-state players in military confrontations is growing, and military confrontations between countries are becoming rarer.