Abstract

Traditionally, the Middle East is a privileged destination of world arms exports. This region is indeed very keen on new military equipment it can buy easily thanks to oil revenues.

For decades, Belgium, almost exclusively through Walloon exports, managed to obtain a share of this market, particularly by building continuing trade relations with one of the states in the region, Saudi Arabia. Yet these Belgian transfers, like those of other states, raised many questions, especially concerning the unintended use that could be made of exported arms, such as internal repression or the risk of diversion by terrorist groups.