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Arab Expenditures for Weapons, Not Science
(National-UAE) In the Bahraini newspaper Al Wasat, Obeidli al-Obeidli underscored the fact that Israel outperforms the Arab world in scientific research. Some 35% of Arab academics live in the diaspora, and two-thirds of those have no plans to return. Saeed Hanna, a Syrian writer quoted by al-Obeidly, noted that Israel in 2004 spent 4.7% of its GNP on research and development, and about 30% of its public budget went for higher education. This is aided by extra funds from the private sector, which stands as the major sponsor of research. The Arab states spend 7% of their GNP on armaments, or 53 times more than they devote to science.