Contents

SIPRI Yearbook 2017

Contents
Preface
Abbreviations and conventions
- Conventions
- Geographical regions and subregions
SIPRI Yearbook online
Introduction
1. Introduction: international security, armaments and disarmament
- I. The year 2016 in review
- II. Trends in armaments and disarmament
- III. International politics and global security
- IV. Conclusions
Part I. Armed conflicts and conflict management, 2016
2. Armed conflict and peace processes
- Overview
- I. Patterns of organized violence, 2007–16
- II. Out of the darkness? The hope for peace in Colombia
- III. Mapping armed conflicts over Islamist claims: exploring regional variations
- IV. The Global Peace Index 2017
3. Armed conflict and instability in the Middle East and North Africa
- Overview
- I. The Middle East and North Africa: 2016 in perspective
- II. The Islamic State in 2016: a failing ‘caliphate’ but a growing transnational threat?
- III. Military spending and arms transfers to the Middle East and North Africa
4. European security
- Overview
- I. Conflict or peace in Europe? Increasing uncertainties, rising insecurities
- II. Conflicts in the post-Soviet space: recent developments
- III. Turkey’s search for stability and legitimacy in 2016
5. Peace operations and conflict management
- Overview
- I. Global trends in peace operations
- II. Regional trends and developments
- III. Protection of civilians: the case of South Sudan
- IV. Table of multilateral peace operations, 2016
Part II. Security and development, 2016
6. Sustaining peace and sustainable development in dangerous places
- Overview
- I. Peace and development
- II. Sustaining peace: the new overarching United Nations framework
- III. Delivering as one: other multilateral mechanisms for sustaining peace
- IV. The peace being sustained: operationalizing prevention
7. Coping with crises: forced displacement in fragile contexts
- Overview
- I. Introduction
- II. Displacement dangers
- III. Crises of forced displacement in fragile contexts: key developments in 2016
- IV. United Nations and regional responses to displacement crises
- V. Conclusions
8. Exploring the links between climate change and violent conflict
- Overview
- I. Exploring the climate–conflict link: the case of East Africa
- II. Weather-related disasters and violent conflict
Part III. Military spending and armaments, 2016
9. Military expenditure
- Overview
- I. Global developments in military expenditure
- II. US military expenditure
- III. Oil price shocks and military expenditure
- IV. The backdating of SIPRI military expenditure data
- V. Transparency in military expenditure data
10. International arms transfers and developments in arms production
- Overview
- I. Developments in arms transfers, 2016
- II. Arms transfers as military aid
- III. Transparency in arms transfers
- IV. The financial value of states’ arms exports
- V. Arms production and military services
11. World nuclear forces
- Overview
- I. US nuclear forces
- II. Russian nuclear forces
- III. British nuclear forces
- IV. French nuclear forces
- V. Chinese nuclear forces
- VI. Indian nuclear forces
- VII. Pakistani nuclear forces
- VIII. Israeli nuclear forces
- IX. North Korea’s military nuclear capabilities
- X. Global stocks and production of fissile materials, 2016
- XI. Nuclear explosions, 1945–2016
Part IV. Non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, 2016
12. Nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control
- Overview
- I. Russian–US nuclear arms control and disarmament
- II. International cooperation to enhance nuclear security
- III. Initiatives and multilateral treaties on nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control
- IV. Implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in Iran
13. Chemical and biological security threats
- Overview
- I. Achieving clarity on Syrian chemical weapon declarations to the OPCW and continued chemical weapon use allegations
- II. Allegations of use of chemical weapons in Iraq
- III. Chemical arms control and disarmament
- IV. Biological arms control
14. Conventional arms control
- Overview
- I. International humanitarian law: ICRC guidance and its application in urban warfare
- II. Humanitarian arms control regimes: key developments in 2016
- III. A relaunch of conventional arms control in Europe?
15. Dual-use and arms trade controls
- Overview
- I. The Arms Trade Treaty
- II. Multilateral embargoes on arms and dual-use items
- III. The export control regimes
- IV. Developments in EU dual-use and arms trade controls
- V. Human rights, the European Union and dual-use export controls
Annexes
Annex A. Arms control and disarmament agreements
- I. Universal treaties
- II. Regional treaties
- III. Bilateral treaties
Annex B. International security cooperation bodies
- I. Bodies with a global focus or membership
- II. Bodies with a regional focus or membership
- III. Strategic trade control regimes
Annex C. Chronology 2016
About the authors

Text size: A
A

SIPRI Yearbook 2017

I. The Middle East and North Africa: 2016 in perspective

Chapter:: 3. Armed conflict and instability in the Middle East and North Africa
Source:: SIPRI Yearbook 2017
Author(s):: Ian Davis, Dan Smith, Pieter D. Wezeman

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) remained at the heart of global security concerns throughout 2016. Events in the region continued to have a major impact on neighbouring areas and on the world stage, while the influence and actions of outside powers in turn had a crucial impact on the region. Because of its strategic location and natural resource wealth in oil and gas, it is an arena in which external powers compete for power, both directly and through local alliances.

Citation (MLA):: Davis, Ian, Dan Smith, and Pieter D. Wezeman. "3. Armed conflict and instability in the Middle East and North Africa." SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2025. <https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198811800/sipri-9780198811800-chapter-3-div1-16.xml>.
Citation (APA):: Davis, I., Smith, D., & Wezeman, P. (2016). 3. Armed conflict and instability in the Middle East and North Africa. In SIPRI, SIPRI Yearbook 2017: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 20 Mar. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198811800/sipri-9780198811800-chapter-3-div1-16.xml
Citation (Chicago):: Davis, Ian, Dan Smith, and Pieter D. Wezeman. "3. Armed conflict and instability in the Middle East and North Africa." In SIPRI Yearbook 2017: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, SIPRI. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). Retrieved 20 Mar. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198811800/sipri-9780198811800-chapter-3-div1-16.xml

The SIPRI Yearbook online requires a subscription or purchase to access its full text (purchase of a print copy of the 2010-2016 yearbooks also provides access to some content). Unsubscribed users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please log in to access full text content, or find out more about how to subscribe.
If you think you should have access to this service, please contact your librarian.