The World - News from April 10, 1988

Worldwide arms sales may have peaked, according to figures released by the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, but the new pattern of the weapons market shows some new and energetic players, including China, Brazil and Israel. The annual report on world military expenditures and arms transfers showed a sharp drop in 1985 and 1986, the most recent years available, from 1984. The world total of arms imports in 1984 was about $50 billion, the report said. By 1986 it had dropped to $34.6 billion. The Soviet Union remains the largest exporter of arms, with about $15 billion in sales, with the United States, at $12.3 billion, running second.