Citation

Hamed MM, Al-Zu'bi BK. Transp. Res. Rec. 1995; 1498: 71-74.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The spread of peace in the Middle East is expected to bring major reductions in military spending, freeing up funds that could be used in the transportation sector which is, at present, underdeveloped. A case study of 10 Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen) shows that if these countries were to cut their defense budgets, as a percentage of the gross national product, to the world average, total annual savings would amount to more than $24 billion (U.S.), $2 billion of which could be spent in the transportation sector. As a result, countries such as Israel, Syria, and United Arab Emirates could expect to increase transportation spending by more than 80%. Areas in the transportation sector that would benefit from increased government spending include pipelines, international roads and railways, public transportation, village and agricultural roads, and port and container facilities.

Language: en

Keywords

Facilities; Motor transportation; Highway administration; Finance; Budget control; Civil defense