Conventional Arms Transfers to the Third World, 1984 - 1991
Abstract
The major political transition wrought by the end of the Cold War continued in 1991, accelerating the changes under way in 1990 which have had a significant impact on the Third World arms marketplace. The dramatic political and economic evolution in the Soviet Union contributed to a substantial decline in its arms transfer agreements with the Third World in 1991. The United States, meanwhile, remained the leader in arms sales to the Third World. Reductions in domestic defense spending in many nations became a matter of acute concern to their weapons exporting industries. The United Nations embargo against Iraq has removed it from its previous position as one of the largest Third World arms purchasers, leading to intense competition among former suppliers for new arms deals elsewhere. Finally, in 1991, in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf war, a number of initiatives have been launched to control destabilizing conventional arms transfers, especially to the Near East region. The collaboration of the United States, the Soviet Union and other nations in opposing the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait led to the denial of new arms transfers to Iraq under the aegis of a United Nations embargo. Subsequently, in early 1991, much of Iraq's military arsenal was destroyed during Operation Desert Storm. These events had the effect of removing Iraq, historically one of the Third World's largest arms purchasers, from the arms marketplace. The loss of Iraq as a weapons purchaser had an especially significant effect on the former Soviet Union, as Iraq for years had been its largest weapons customer, and one that had the ability to pay for its weapons in hard currency or its equivalent.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA497057
Entities
People
- Richard F. Grimmett
Organizations
- Library of Congress