October 01, 2007
Arsenal Of Democracy Sells To Just About Everyone
A new report finds that the United States can once again claim the dubious honor of top arms dealer to the developing world. The congressional study [PDF], released today, reports that in 2006 the U.S. sold more weapons to developing nations than any other country. The U.S. was the top seller in 2005 as well.
Total arms sales to developing nations totaled almost $28.8 billion -- a slight drop from the $31.8 billion traded in 2005. Of that total, the U.S. was responsible for 36 percent of sales. The nearest competitor, Russia, took 28 percent of the market, followed by Britain, Germany and China.
The New York Times reports that the top buyer last year was Pakistan, with $5.1 billion worth of arms agreements, followed by India and then Saudi Arabia. But that ranking reflects the total value of arms agreements made, not the actual value of arms deliveries. Ranked by the value of arms actually delivered, Saudi Arabia was the biggest recipient, followed by China and Israel.
According to the report, the Middle East has for several years purchased more arms than any other region. The U.S. has been particularly successful dominating the market there and accounted for roughly half of the arms trade in the Middle East from 2003 through 2006.
Business in the Middle East looks likely to keep on booming. This summer, the Bush administration stirred controversy when it announced plans to sell $20 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, and last week the Pentagon announced it is considering selling $2.3 billion worth of ammunition, vehicles and explosives to Iraq.
The report comes just as a proposal to regulate the international arms trade has begun to gather steam at the United Nations. The proposed treaty, still in very early discussions, would likely win little backing from the powerful arms-supplying nations and encounter strong resistance from the National Rifle Association.
