A decade of military craving Military expenditure in the Middle East and North Africa

The past decade has been characterised by a process of global militarisation on which the economic and financial crisis seem to have had little or no impact on, especially in southern and eastern Mediterranean countries. By drawing up the balance sheet of military expenses in the region, this paper aims at providing a better understanding of the massive defence-related investments made by MENA countries. Particularly, it highlights the military potential generated by oil income and focuses on the two countries with the highest military expenses in the MENA region: Algeria and Saudi Arabia.