The Third World goes for the gun

Press, 24 September 1980, Page 20

The Third World goes for the gun

By

lAN MATHER

in London

Demand by Third World countries for weapons of all kinds shows no sign of abating. Indeed, of the 10 largest permanent military establishments in the world, six are in the developing rather than the developed world. The International Institute for Strategic Studies’ annual “Military Balance,” published on September 18, lists China (with 4.45 million people in

its armed forces), India (1.1 million), Vietnam (one million), North Korea (678,000), South Korea (600,000) and Pakistan (438,000). among the world’s top 10 military powers, along with the Soviet Union (3.7 million), the United States (two Turkey (567,000) and West Germany (495,000). Despite the low per capita

income in these Third World countries, substantial arms' programmes are being pushed ahead, as a result of real or perceived conflicts. India, for instance, is buying modern T-72 tanks, helicopters and MiG-25 aircraft from the Soviet Union, and developing an impressive manufacturing capability through licensing agreements. Although the United States and the Soviet Union

still transfer large quantities of weapons to their traditional clients, there have been some significant shifts from previous patterns. Iraq, while continuing to buy arms from the Soviet Union, has turned to France for helicopters, some strike aircraft and missiles. Kuwait, on the other hand, has bought missiles (surface-to-surface and surface-to-air) from the Soviet Union. Britain is selling 278 Shir

tanks to Jordan, while Saudi Arabia has contracted to buy AMX-10P infantry combat vehicles and anti-aircraft systems from France. North and South Yemen and Syria are receiving large quantities of Soviet weapons, -while the United States is arming Egypt as well as Israel. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, while contributing substantially to the general

sense of international concern, has not yet begun to influence the flow of arms to Third World countries. The institute says there is no evidence of major arms supplies to the guerrillas from outside Afghanistan, yet the guerrillas, equipped mainlv with weapons from defecting Afghan forces, are well able to contest control of large areas of the country. — Copyright, London Observer Service.