ABSTRACT
The factors affecting technology trade with the Middle East vary with the technology and with each importing country. They are developed individually for each sector in this chapter, with the common factors pervasive across sectors identified at the end. The information required to make these assessments was developed from published materials on the countries and industries, trade journals, and selected telephone interviews with representatives of U.S. firms. The information on specific cases discussed came primarily from these telephone interviews, as did the qualitative judgments of the relative importance of various factors. This approach is subject to potential bias because of the reliance on the perspective of U.S. firms, and because of the small number of firms canvassed. Yet, in most cases, a consensus was evident, and in those where it was not, attempts were made to discern the basis for those opinions so that some synthesis could be reached. The conceptual approach for each sector is not strictly parallel, owing to the differences in market structure and industry characteristics. The emphasis has been on delineating competitive factors pertinent to these industries in the Middle East, and not those that affect U.S. competitiveness in general. Where military/strategic implications are significant, they are identified. The major policies affecting technology trade are reviewed briefly at the end of the chapter.
