Arms Race, Round 2
The United States is the No. 1 arms seller to the Third World, but your articles on the international weapons trade accurately assigned blame for the trade to a number of nations.
Reining in the arms trade, then, requires a multilateral approach. President Clinton could take the lead by jump-starting the stalled talks among the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to restrain arms transfers. Specifically, he could announce a unilateral moratorium on U.S. sales for a period of time as a show of good faith until talks began.
Once talks are restarted, Clinton should urge that future sales be linked to participation by supplier and purchaser nations in the new U.N. arms registry to illuminate the shadowy flow of weapons around the world. Then talks should turn immediately to placing strict treaty limits on all transfers, with an initial focus on transfers to unstable regions and countries with poor human-rights records.
BURTON GLASS
Disarmament Campaign Coordinator
Peace Action Education Fund
Washington
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