Arms Trade in the Developing World, 1976-1986: Reflections on a Decade
Abstract
From the latter 1970s until perhaps as late as 1984, the trend in arms imports by developing nations was sharply up in almost all years, fueled by ambitious force improvement programs financed, in most cases, by rising oil prices and easy credit.[1] At the zenith of that period, in 1980, total arms contracts[2] made by developing or "Third World" countries[3] reached levels in excess of about $50 billion in current (or "then-year") U.S. dollars. In recent years, however, arms sales to the Third World have fallen sharply, despite the occurrence of several major conflicts. Falling oil prices and crushing debt service costs are obviously important factors, but perhaps more significant is the completion of many Third World force improvement programs. The expensive and complex major weapons, whose many (and well-publicized) acquisitions so drove up the level of arms sales in the peak years, have begun to flow to their buyers and are creating significant absorption problems. And many major weapons systems previously ordered are still in the pipeline. The last decade's arms-buying programs can be attributed, in part, to the personal ambitions of some Third World leaders and the effectiveness of arms salesmen, often aided by the well-placed bribe. Many of the weapons systems purchased were far too ambitious for the acquiring countries' weak infrastructures of operational and maintenance facilities and far too small pools of trained manpower. To varying degrees, Third World purchasers now are beginning to address these shortcomings despite tight budget constraints.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA497107
Entities
People
- Morton S. Miller
Organizations
- Defense Security Cooperation Agency