Here AOAV examines how Britain’s historic and contemporary military involvement, arms exports and strategic alliances across the Middle East have linked the UK, directly or indirectly, to conflicts and alleged human-rights violations across the region.

Britain’s long-standing defence relationship with Bahrain, centred on a permanent naval base, arms exports, training and advisory ties, has made it a significant enabler of the kingdom’s security apparatus, raising persistent questions about UK responsibility where that support intersects with repression at home and military operations abroad.

Britain’s defence partnership with the United Arab Emirates, encompassing arms supply, joint facilities and technical support, has tied UK policy to a key regional ally whose role in conflicts from Yemen to Sudan raises mounting concerns over indirect complicity in civilian harm and embargo violations.

An AOAV convened panel at the Frontline Club examined how surging global military spending has reinforced a system in which arms companies, governments and media structures are intertwined, while legal and political mechanisms meant to restrain war profits often prove weak or unused.

This report examines how UK arms exports between 2021 and 2024, worth billions and sent to 84 countries—including many engaged in urban warfare—raise serious legal and ethical concerns over Britain’s compliance with international humanitarian law and its role in enabling civilian harm.