Arms Trade with the Third World as an Aspect of Imperialism

Jan Øberg
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Jan Øberg: Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Lund University

Journal of Peace Research, 1975, vol. 12, issue 3, 213-234

Abstract: The article analyses the growing peripheral mili tarization as it develops through transfers of major weapons. Trends are examined from 1950 to 1973. The first phase of the empirical analysis outlines the pattern of AT. It shows how the four main suppliers, the US, the USSR, France and the UK feed a very large number of periph eral countries and how such trade relations have changed over time. The pattern is characterized as feudal, the supplier power is highly centralized, it furthers dependence and shows sign of stability, i.e. through central powers holding arms supply monopolies in the periphery during all 23 years. The second phase is a structural analysis of how this AT pattern is related to the overall domi nance structure. i.e. what role AT plays in inter national society. Here AT is related to other as pects of the international structure, namely inter national trade, foreign investment and the ex traction of raw materials and energy. In all cases it is illustrated that rather close relationships exist between AT and such dominance aspects. The overall conclusion is that AT grows out of the global dominance structure; it is not only re lated to political or purely military matters but also to economic structures. In the future AT will expand through military-industrial subimperia lists, i.e. a number of peripheral countries will import the sophisticated materials together with resources for their own production of more con ventional equipment which they will export part of to their peripheries. In other words, a quite new division of labour in terms of world military production is emerging, and surely it will serve central as well as subimperialist interests but not true socioeconomic development for the periph ery of the periphery. The problems of control, thus, are far more complicated than anticipated in previous studies. Isolated proposals like 'talks', agreements, UN control, etc. will not be efficient unless the fundamental structure of international society undergoes changes towards greater justice and equality.

Date: 1975
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