Today, despite the end of the cold war, more countries have more
sophisticated weapons from more numerous suppliers than ever
before. This is partly a product of continuing and growing
conflicts--especially regional and interethnic ones--but it also
reflects the political and economic difficulties of weaning public
and private enterprise away from powerful and highly lucrative
defense manufacturing and sales.In this compact yet comprehensive
volume, Frederic Pearson surveys the broad terrain covered by the
concept of "the security dilemma" and points out landmarks along
the route proceeding from proliferation to economic interests, to
potential "conversion," to the future of defense production and
marketing. Along the way we experience the lure of arms sales
expositions and fairs and the quandary of deciding whether to arm
victims of aggression. The author meticulously describes and
documents the twin motives of "welfare and security" in the arms
market: who buys weapons, who sells them, where they are produced,
and how they are--and are not--used. Through a combination of data,
anecdotes, illustrations, and narration accompanied by special
feature boxes, we see how arms races have mounted historically and
how they might be defused in this, the gathering post-Cold War
order.From spears and axes to the radar-eluding stealth aircraft,
"The Global Spread of Arms" charts the history of the arms dilemma
and brings us up-to-date on myths and recent trends in weapons
development internationally. Touching on issues ranging from
multinational arms manufacturers to black and gray market
consumers, from arms verification to arms autonomy, and from peace
dividends to "peace through strength," Pearson presents a balanced
view of the policy debate about defense economies, collective
security, and how to manage them.Governments of developed and
developing countries alike talk about arms control but often fail
to act in curtailing arms trade and transfers. Nowhere is the
paradox of the "sovereign right to arm" more apparent than in
current hot spots detailed by Pearson, including the Balkans, the
former Soviet Union, Iraq, North Korea, and South Asia. We see an
array of arms trends played out to devastating effect: sanctions,
embargoes, multilateral trade and negotiations, smuggling, "arms
balancing," and, ultimately, proliferation and escalation cycles.
Potential escape routes from weapons dilemmas also are offered in a
full review of arms transfer controls.Students of international
relations and international political economy, from peace studies
to security studies, will join industry and government
professionals as well as general readers in finding this primer
indispensable to understanding the past and future global arsenal.
General
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