{"id":7139,"date":"2026-02-17T18:24:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/?p=7139"},"modified":"2026-02-17T18:24:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:24:22","slug":"pakistan-can-sell-weapons-in-the-middle-east-but-can-it-sell-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/2026\/02\/17\/pakistan-can-sell-weapons-in-the-middle-east-but-can-it-sell-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan can sell weapons in the Middle East, but can it sell security?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/opinions\/2026\/2\/9\/pakistan-can-sell-weapons-in-the-middle-east-but-can-it-sell-security<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article explores Pakistan\u2019s growing role as an arms exporter and defence partner in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region \u2014 including major deals with Libya\u2019s Libyan National Army and a potential arms package for Sudan\u2019s armed forces \u2014 and asks whether Islamabad can actually provide security, not just sell weapons. Pakistan has signed significant defence contracts, increasing its diplomatic visibility and foreign exchange. It also formalised a strategic mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia, boosting military cooperation. However, the article argues that Pakistan\u2019s influence is limited by its economic and security weaknesses. Unlike regional powers that pair defence cooperation with substantial trade, investment, and technology ties, Pakistan remains economically dependent and a net seeker of capital. Its trade and foreign investment are much smaller than regional peers, making it less of a comprehensive strategic partner. The piece also highlights that domestic instability, including militancy, border conflicts, and attacks at home, saps the military\u2019s resources and distracts from foreign security ambitions. In short, while Pakistan can sell weapons, building a reputation as a security provider will require stronger internal stability, economic growth, and a broader strategic doctrine beyond arms exports<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article puts a spotlight on Pakistan’s growing role in Middle Eastern arms sales as it signs major defence deals, including with Libya’s National Army and Sudan’s armed forces, boosting its strategic footprint. However the piece does argue that exporting weapons doesn’t automatically translate into being a reliable security provider, especially given Pakistan’s own internal security challenges and economic limitations. The opinion matters because it shows the constraints smaller powers face when trying to expand influence in geopolitically volatile regions. Historically, Pakistan has balanced regional diplomacy with security needs at home and along the Afghan border. Without stronger internal stability and economic leverage, its security role might just remain transactional and limited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pakistani government might emphasize the positive economic and diplomatic gains from defence exports and seek clearer security doctrines. Middle Eastern partners receiving arms, like Libya or Sudan factions, could end up welcoming enhanced capabilities but also face criticism over how that affects local conflicts. Gulf states might see cooperation with Pakistan as part of a diversified security strategy but weigh it against economic partnership. Domestic critics in Pakistan could push for a focus on internal security and economic reform to support a sustainable role abroad. Regional outsiders might want transparency and caution about these uprising tensions without broader peace efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article directly relates to what is being taught in the classroom. This type of trading is allowing Pakistan to increase their national security which is good for them because prior to this it was very transactional and limited. It also relates to internal vs. external identities because Pakistan is only doing this because they want to be higher and reach new goals. Other countries, specifically India, are taking these trades as a security threat due to past conflict between them and a significant rise in internal stability from Pakistan. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/opinions\/2026\/2\/9\/pakistan-can-sell-weapons-in-the-middle-east-but-can-it-sell-security The article explores Pakistan\u2019s growing role as an arms exporter and defence partner in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region \u2014 including major deals with Libya\u2019s Libyan National Army and a potential arms package for Sudan\u2019s armed forces \u2014 and asks whether Islamabad can actually provide security, not just sell weapons. Pakistan has signed significant defence contracts,… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":334,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/334"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7139"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7140,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7139\/revisions\/7140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}