This comprehensive new analysis goes far beyond today's headlines and the basic facts and figures on the military forces in the region. Tracing the origin of the military forces in each Middle East country, Tony Cordesman discusses current security developments and provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the strength and effectiveness of every army, navy, air force, and air defense force in the region. The author assesses current modernization and force expansion plans, force improvement priorities, and the ability of each force to absorb new military equipment. He also looks at each country's internal security situations, the role the military plays in its government, and internal tensions and civil wars. In addition to analyzing regular forces, Cordesman examines all of the paramilitary and rebel forces in the region. Cordesman's detailed analysis provides fresh insights into several specific regional issues. In the Maghreb, he focuses on the war for control of the Western Sahara, the role of the military in Algeria's internal security, and Libya's impact on the political and military stability of the Middle East. He then analyzes Israel's new approach to force planning, the risks of an Israeli-Syrian conflict, Jordan's growing military and internal security problems, efforts to rebuild Lebanon's military forces, and military developments within the PLO. Turning to the Red Sea states, Cordesman discusses the military changes in Yemen since unification and the Gulf War; Yemen's confrontation with Saudi Arabia; the history of the civil wars in the Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia; and the risk that the Horn of Africa will suffer further from civil war in the future. Special attention is given to Iran and Iraq. Cordesman examines Iran's new military buildup in light of the political changes since the death of Khomeini and the military changes since the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War. He offers the first comprehensive analysis of the impact of the Gulf War on Iraq's military forces and explains what Iraq is doing to rebuild its capabilities. The author also evaluates the forces of the southern Gulf states, tracing the problems created by their failure to develop effective regional cooperation and national force plans. After the Storm is unique in combining the evaluation of conventional forces with assessments of developments in biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. Cordesman provides technical descriptions of these weapons systems and documents their proliferation. Summary tables and charts present key statistics for the region, formatted in ways that allow quick country-to-country comparisons. The author closes with assessments of the prospects for arms control in each country, the impact of those nations' military status on Western strategic interests, and the need for Western military assistance and power projection.

"Produced in cooperation with the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies."

1. Weighing the Military Balance in the Middle East. The Casualty Effect. The Burden of Military Expenditures. Trends in Military Manpower. Equipment Numbers: The Issue of Quantity. Qualitative Factors Affecting the Middle Eastern Military Balance. Force Quality and Continuing Weaknesses in Middle Eastern Forces. Scenario and Contingency Analysis in Middle Eastern Forces -- 2. Arms Transfers to the Middle East. The Problem of Data. Total Regional Arms Transfers Through 1990. The Total Flow of Arms to Individual Middle Eastern Countries. The Role of Arms Suppliers. Arms Costs Versus Flows of Weapons. Supplier Relationships with Individual Middle Eastern States. The Role of Military Advisors. Economic and Political Forces Driving Arms Sales -- 3. Trends in the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Current Acquisition Efforts in the Middle East. The Impact of Long Range Missile Systems. The Impact of Chemical Weapons. The Impact of Biological Weapons. The Impact of Nuclear Weapons. The Technology and Practice of Proliferation -- 4. Trends in the Military Balance and Arms Sales in North Africa. The Arms Buildup in the Maghreb. Patterns in Arms Imports and Military Advisory Efforts. Mauritania. Morocco. Algeria. Libya. Tunisia. The Military Tragedy in the Maghreb -- 5. Trends in the Military Balance and Arms Sales in the Arab-Israeli Confrontation States. The Historical Trends in Military Forces. The Economic, Demographic, and Military Forces Affecting the Arab-Israeli Balance. Israel. Syria. Jordan. Lebanon. Palestinian Forces. Egypt. Current Prospects for the Arab-Israeli Arms Race -- 6. Trends in the Military Balance and Arms Sales in the Northern Gulf States. The Dynamics of the Military Balance in the Gulf Area. The Impact of Iran and Iraq on the Regional Military Balance. Iran. Iraq. Dealing with the Strategic Challenge from Iran and Iraq -- 7. Trends in the Military Balance and Arms Sales in the Southern Gulf States. Military Forces, Strategic Needs, and Vulnerabilities. The Gulf Cooperation Council and Efforts at Collective Security. Saudi Arabia. Kuwait. Bahrain. Qatar. UAE. Oman. The Southern Gulf States: The Problem May Be the Solution -- 8. Trends in the Military Balance and Arms Sales in the Red Sea and the Horn. The Military Trends in the Red Sea Area. Yemen. Sudan. Ethiopia. Djibouti. Somalia. The Problem of the Red Sea and the Horn -- 9. Strategic Interests, Arms Control, and Regional Stability: Conflict or Synergy? The Problem of Peace Negotiations. The Problem of Arms Control. The Problem of Military Buildups. The Rule of Law and the Illusion of Democracy. The Question of Hope -- Appendix: Sources and Methods -- Security Problems of the Middle East and Southwest Asia: A Selected Annotated Bibliography.