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Perhaps considering the total military expenditure will provide a better perspective - $80B for Saudi Arabia in 2014; 3rd highest in the world in $ terms, and h
by ashaiber 11y ago
Perhaps considering the total military expenditure will provide a better perspective - $80B for Saudi Arabia in 2014; 3rd highest in the world in $ terms, and highest in the world in terms of percent of GDP (10.7%).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_...
- DamnYuppie 11y agoThank you! I was looking for that but wasn't able to find it quickly enough.
- euroclydon 11y agoUnlike gold, the treasure Saudi Arabia is sitting on top of is: in higher demand, more easily convertible into wealth and prosperity, and among it's resource class, the most easily accessible in the world. That, combined with the fact they live in a dangerous part of the world, leads me to believe it's a rational decision to try to protect their treasure. Whether their armed forced are capable is, sadly, depending on your POV, another story. Like in most autocratic societies, a strong military is seen as a threat to the leadership.