Source: Tribune
Western nations, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia and Germany, have helped increase corruption in Middle Eastern and North African countries by selling them large quantities of weapons, a Transparency International report has found.
The report titled Government Defence and Anti-corruption Index found that corruption has worsened the region’s conflicts, weakened its militaries, increased extremism, and “formed a narrative for violent extremist groups.”“There is evidence that because of corruption, nepotism, and a lack of transparency, rising defence budgets in the region are not being spent on arms and equipment that actually meet countries’ strategic security needs,” the report reads.
The risk of arms proliferating across the region is extremely high due to few institutional checks and balances, the researchers found, adding that the combination of rising arms imports, weak oversight and low public engagement is worsening the risk of future conflict.
Categories: Arab World, Terrorism