International Arms Deals

Report Outline
Arms Comptetion in the Middle East
Surplus Arms and New Sources of Supply
Postwar Changes in World Arms Traffic

Arms Comptetion in the Middle East

The Arms Agreement under which Egypt is obtaining Communist military equipment has introduced a new and disturbing factor into the already explosive armament race in the Middle East. The barter of Czechoslovak war materials for Egyptian cotton has increased tension between Israel and Egypt and provoked a series of border incidents that carry the threat of another Arab-Israeli war. Moreover, the new Red move in the Middle East has touched off a form of competition in armaments which could have far-reaching consequences in other parts of the world.

The shipment of Czech munitions to Egypt has ended the monopoly of supply in the Middle East held since World War II by the western powers. By engaging in what is described as a “commercial transaction,” the Soviet bloc has opened a new and potentially large source of military equipment for countries which hitherto have been entirely dependent upon the West. For the first time, the Communists have given Egypt and other relatively weak countries the opportunity to decline western aid without the penalty of losing their only source of supply.

Reports that the Soviet bloc is promoting arms deals with additional countries have come from various parts of the Near and Middle East. Syria and Saudi Arabia have hinted at the possibility of getting Communist arms to implement their recently signed mutual security pact with Egypt. Afghanistan, which occupies a strategic position in the northern tier of states between Pakistan and the Soviet Union, has been invited to inspect Red Czechoslovakia's arms factories with a view to placing orders for military equipment. Spokesmen for the Afghan government have expressed an interest in Czech arms and spare parts if the country cannot get the military equipment it needs from western powers.