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CRS
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Con!:,rressional Research Service • The
Library
of Congress
OVERVIEW
Conventional
Arms
Transfers
in
the
Post-Cold
War
Era
Richard F. Grimmett
Specialist
in
National Defense
Foreign Affairs
and
National Defense Division
Conventional
arms
transfers
in
the
post-Cold War
Era
are
likely
to
be
notably different from those
that
occurred
prior
to
the
collapse
of
the
former
Soviet Union,
the
dissolution
of
the
Warsaw Pact,
the
reunification
of
Germany,
and
the
subsequent
outbreak
of
ethnic
and
regional conflicts. This
report
reviews some
of
the
recent changes
in
conventional
arms
transfer
patterns,
discusses some
of
the
possible
near
term
trends
in
conventional arms transfers,
and
notes some implications
of
these prospective trends.
IMPACT
OF
THE
COLD
WAR'S
END
The
major political
and
economic transitions
wrought
by
the
end
of
the
Cold War have
had
a significant impact
on
conventional arms transfers,
particularly
in
the
Third
World.
The
formal dissolution
of
the
Soviet Union
has
contributed to a
sharp
fall
in
Russia's arms agreements, while
the
United
States
has
become
the
undisputed leader
in
arms sales to
the
Third
World, accounting
for nearly one-half
of
the
value
of
such arms
transfers
since 1990.
1
The
continuing major reductions
in
domestic defense spending
in
many
nations
has
became a
matter
of
acute concern
to
their
weapons industries. This factor
has
resulted
in
intense competition among suppliers for new
arms
deals
throughout
the
globe, particularly
in
the
Third
World, where demand still exists although
at
a lower level. Developed countries
are
seeking
to
retain
their
domestic defense
industrial bases, despite spending cutbacks, which makes
it
unlikely
they
will
make
many
major weapons purchases from arms producers
of
other
developed
countries.
The
Third
World, therefore, is
the
primary focus
of
their
marketing.
In
the
aftermath
of
the
Persian
Gulf
war,
many
inside
and
outside Congress
called for dramatic new approaches to controlling conventional arms transfers,
especially
in
the
Near
East
region
to
reduce
the
likelihood
of
another
massive
weapons buildup such as
had
occurred
in
Iraq.
In
May 1991,
the
Bush
1
For
details regarding
the
conventional arms
trade
with
the
Third World
from 1985-1992 see Richard F. Grimmett, Conventional Arms Transfers to
the
Third
World, 1985-1992, CRS Report for Congress 93-656 F,
July
19, 1993.
CRS Reports are prepared
for
Members and committees
of
Congress
~
CRS
