The Issue

Among the many U.S. foreign and military actions the Cold War served to justify was arms sales abroad, including sales to some of the world's most repressive regimes. The end of the Cold War meant, not the end of such sales, but U.S. domination of the global market. National security is no longer cited much as a pretext. It is profit making pure and simple, with a big push to open new markets such as Africa and Latin America. But it's profit for the corporations, not the American people, whose tax money subsidizes the sales in various ways.

From 1993 through 1997, the U.S. sold the world with $53 billion of arms, whereas the next 19 suppliers together sold $54 billion. In Fiscal Year 1998, new sales totaled $8.23 billion to 103 nations, including such notorious rights violators as Turkey ($240 million), Ethiopia ($10 million), and Peru ($4.3 million).

In areas of global tension-e.g. the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, the southern cone of South America-the U.S. pours in arms, making the situation more volatile and the violence more deadly. In the poorest nations of the world-e.g. Chad and Haiti-the U.S. drains development resources by encouraging acquisition of weapons. Where there is grassroots opposition to transnational corporations and the governmental elites that cooperate with them-e.g. El Salvador and Mexico-the U.S. supplies arms to suppress and terrorize free speech and association.

Current Activities

Efforts are focused on passing a strong version of an Arms Trade Code of Conduct. Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia has led the struggle. Her bill is HR 2269. At the end of 1999, Congress passed a weak version of the Code. For specifics, click here.

Help educate people about national responsibility. Peace Action Education Fund has some excellent materials, including two effective brochures called "Fueling Global Conflicts", one on sales to Latin America, the other on sales to East Asia.

Campaigns

Local: None. Greater Houston Chapter, Peace Action-Texas, includes U.S. signing and ratification of the treaty on its issue agenda. Contact Herbert Rothschild Jr., Chapter Coordinator, at 713.743.9022, herbertrothschild@hotmail.com

National: Peace Action Education Fund, 1819 H Street NW #420, Washington D.C. 20006. 202.862.9740; web site is www.peace-action.org

Federation of American Scientists' Arms Sales Monitoring Project provides excellent information on the issue and current activities to curb sales. Web site is www.fas.org/asmp

Council for a Livable World Education Fund's Conventional Arms Trade Project is another excellent source. 110 Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 201, Washington, D.C. 20002. 202.546.0962. Web site is www.clw.org. Publishes the monthly 4-page Arms Trade News.