The current difficulties surrounding France’s sale of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia mark another awkward chapter in the country’s history of arms sales. France currently ranks fifth among the world’s largest arms exporting nations, according to the independent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The country accounted for 4% of global exports between 2009-2013, down from 9% between 2004-2008, placing it behind only the US, Russia, Germany and China. Although France is by no means the only country to have a checkered history with regards to arms exports, it nevertheless has made some significant missteps in recent history. And …read more
Source: Business Insider
