On July 17th, 2017, the Wall Street Journal published an article (to get around the pay wall just search for the title and alternative websites will appear) detailing the state of the world wide drone market and how US politics have affected it. Currently, the United States is the biggest arms dealer in the world, but two of its most fearsome weapons, the Predator and Reaper drone have only been sold to one other country, the UK. Because the US has held back drones from many countries, China has become one of the leading exporters of drones and the third biggest arms dealer after the US and Russia.
Specifically in the Middle East, where both Israel and the US have refused to sell, China has capitalized. With deals to countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq China is responsible for the rise in non-US drone strikes in the region. The US is losing the battle against drone proliferation with 22 members of Congress asking the Trump administration to bypass the regulations set forth by the Obama administration and sell some drones to Jordan and the UAE.
I would recommend this article because it addresses a pressing issue in world politics that could affect everyone's lives in the coming future. The issue of drone availability is one that will change warfare for decades to come. It could be the difference in going off to war yourself or sending off an unmanned drone.
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