Manama, June 16 (ANI): The Gulf states have reportedly witnessed a steady increase in public and foreign debt that amount to 40 percent of the GDP and to 7,45,000 dollars per citizen respectively, as the region's per capita military spending is the highest in the world.
The military expense of Gulf Cooperation Council states even exceeds the combined military spending of Israel and the United Kingdom despite 50000 foreign troops being present on the Gulf soil, the Gulf News reports.
According to the report, the number of American troops in the Gulf region equals that in Germany and exceeds the number of American troops in Japan, which is a result of 'the chronic security imbalances in the region'.
The findings have been published in a report of the Gulf Centre for Development Policies (GCDP) whose director Dr Omar Shehabi said that the Gulf states are unable to secure themselves from any external military threat as they heavily depend on Western countries to provide military protection and security.
Shehabi claimed that the small size and population of the Gulf states will always keep them vulnerable, and need them to align themselves with larger powers in the world if they do not work towards a collective security and provide for adequate military security for themselves.
Shehabi further said that he was puzzled as to why the Gulf states failed to build up adequate military even with the huge amount of money spent annually in military expenditure. (ANI)
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