Annie, get your gun!
The "Wild West" goes on ....
Enjoy the days of Dyango --
Even of Hopalong Cassidy!
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This article from NYTimes.com
has been sent to you by
coffeebob@aol.com.
Global Arms Sales Rise Again, and the U.S. Leads the Pack
By THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 — International
arms sales grew 8 percent last
year, to nearly $36.9 billion,
with the United States further
consolidating its stature as
the supplier of choice, especially in
developing countries, according
to a new Congressional report.
American manufacturers
signed contracts for just under $18.6
billion, or about half of all
weapons sold on the world market
during 2000, with 68 percent
of the American weapons bought by
developing countries.
Russia followed, with $7.7
billion in sales, then France with $4.1
billion, Germany with $1.1 billion,
Britain with $600 million,
China with $400 million and
Italy with $100 million.
The statistics are contained
in a study, "Conventional Arms
Transfers to Developing Nations,
1993- 2000," published by the
Congressional Research Service,
an arm of the Library of Congress.
The report, updated each year,
is one of the most authoritative
resources on weapons sales available
to the public.
The author, Richard F.
Grimmett, notes in an introduction that
developing nations remain the
largest market for weapons, and a
growing one.
"Despite global changes
since the cold war's end, the developing
world continues to be the primary
focus of foreign arms sales
activity by conventional weapons
suppliers," wrote Mr. Grimmett, a
specialist in national defense
at the research service.
Worldwide arms sales rose
in 2000 for the third year in a row. The
previous year, international
weapons sales were nearly $34 billion,
when measured in constant year
2000 dollars. The value of sales
agreements with developing nations
was $25.4 billion in 2000, the
highest in constant dollars
since 1994.
The two leaders in arms
sales, the United States and Russia, both
increased their new contracts
in 2000.
The report is studiously
nonpartisan. But its findings will
doubtless offer more material
for human rights and arms control
organizations that criticize
the American government — Democratic
and Republican administrations
— for preaching peaceful relations
abroad while allowing American
contractors to continue arming the
world.
Certain details also underscore
national security challenges for
the new Bush administration.
The study documents a small
but tangible supplier-buyer
relationship between Russia
and Iran during a time when President
Bush is pressing Moscow to end
the Antiballistic Missile Treaty.
One inducement that administration
officials said they might put on
the table is to buy Russian
interceptors for a missile shield;
another would be to offer joint
development for high-technology
sensors, communications systems
or "kill vehicles" of an eventual
missile system.
At the same time, however,
administration officials express
concerns that a Russia-Iran
arms relationship could compromise
American technological secrets
shared with Russia, in addition to
destabilizing the region.
There are two ways to track
the flow of arms: by sales contracts
and by deliveries.
The study found that between
1997 and 2000, Russia agreed to sell
Iran $300 million in weapons,
measured in constant 2000 dollars.
During that same period, Russia
delivered to Iran $800 million in
arms.
"In late 2000, Russia served
public notice that it again intended
to pursue major arms sales with
Iran, despite objections from the
United States," the report states.
The administration's arguments
for a missile shield beyond the
limits of the ABM Treaty cite
Iraq and North Korea as the major
threats, and as the report notes,
"Iraq was once a major purchaser
of advanced weaponry from Russia,"
but not since the Persian Gulf
war in 1991.
"Russia would clearly pursue
new major weapons deals with Iraq, if
current U.N. sanctions on Iraq
that ban Iraqi arms purchases are
lifted," the report states.
Russia's principal clients
for weapons are India and China. But
Moscow enters into joint production
deals with those nations, which
raises the possibility that
eventually they will make the arms
domestically, curtailing purchases
despite Russia's desire to earn
hard currency.
The report also cautions
on China's role in the arms market,
stating, "With a need for hard
currency, and some military products
(especially missiles) that some
developing countries would like to
acquire, China can present an
important obstacle to efforts to stem
proliferation of advanced missile
systems to some areas of the
developing world where political
and military tensions are
significant."
After reaching a peak of
$2.7 billion in weapons sales in 1999,
China dropped to $400 million
last year. Pakistan remained a major
buyer.
The increase in sales by
the United States, from $12.9 billion in
1999 to nearly $18.6 billion,
was powered by a $6.4 billion sale of
80 F-16 fighter jets to the
United Arab Emirates.
The Emirates, by virtue
of its blockbuster purchase of jets from
the United States, led the developing
world in signing weapons
contracts in 2000, with $7.4
billion. India, which signed $4.8
billion in sales deals, ranked
second, followed by South Korea,
which signed $2.3 billion in
contracts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/20/international/20ARMS.html?ex=999322627&ei=1&en=30c1512288d2a46b
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