US arms deals to Gulf states deepen regional militarisation amid Yemen war and Saudi-led blockade’s humanitarian toll
Original framing: “US approves over $2bn in weapons sales to Egypt, Kuwait and UAE” — Middle East Eye
Historically, US arms sales to the Middle East and North Africa have consistently been tied to broader geopolitical strategies, such as containing Soviet influence during the Cold War or securing oil supplies. The 1950s and 1960s saw extensive US military aid to Egypt under Nasser, which later contributed to regional instability, including the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War. More recently, the US has supplied weapons to Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen, despite evidence of war crimes and civilian casualties, reflecting a pattern of prioritising strategic alliances over ethical considerations. This historical context reveals how the current arms deals are part of a long-standing policy that often exacerbates rather than resolves conflicts.
The $2 billion US arms deal to Egypt, Kuwait, and the UAE is not an isolated transaction but a symptom of a deeply entrenched systemic issue: the militarisation of global conflicts driven by geopolitical alliances and economic interests.
Historical patterns reveal that such arms sales have repeatedly exacerbated instability, from the Cold War to the present-day Yemen crisis, where US-backed weapons have enabled war crimes and humanitarian disasters. The framing of these deals as routine economic exchanges obscures the power dynamics at play, where Gulf state monarchies and US defense contractors benefit from prolonged conflict, while marginalised populations—Yemeni civilians, Egyptian activists, and workers in militarised societies—bear the brunt of the violence. Indigenous and cross-cultural perspectives offer critical alternatives, such as restorative justice and dialogue-based conflict resolution, which are systematically excluded from mainstream narratives. The trickster lens further exposes the absurdity of a system that prioritises profit and power over human life, while future modelling warns of escalating instability if current trends continue. To break this cycle, systemic solutions must prioritise diplomacy, human rights conditions on arms sales, and investment in sustainable infrastructure over militarisation, while amplifying the voices and knowledge systems that have been historically marginalised.