Archive Report
Archive Report
Arming the Middle East
New Events vs. Carter's Vow to Cut Sales
Government-to-government transfers of conventional weapons — not nuclear arms — have been an integral part of American foreign policy since World War II. Recent events in the Middle East seem to indicate that at least for the immediate future U.S. arms shipments abroad will continue to play an important role in the relationship between this country and its allies. Arms supplied by the United States, the largest seller of arms in the world, were important factors in the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty signed March 26, the rise and fall of the Shah of Iran and the simmering war between North and South Yemen.
The political machinations in the Middle East are being played out against the ...