Russia’s arms monopoly is a valued supplier to the Pentagon.
For many nations involved in arms exports, there is often much more at stake than simply improving their balance of payments.
Weapons – like oil, gas and water – are worth much more than their ostensible market value and often involve transactions that are not settled exclusively in cash.
By granting or denying export licenses, countries with clout exploit these trades as a way of supporting their allies, discouraging competitors and redefining their sphere of influence.
In 2000, Russia, the world’s second largest exporter of weapons after the US, merged its two intermediary agencies for the import/export of defence-related and dual-use goods (e.g. surveillance drones that can be used in combat or for the prevention and control of forest fires) and set up Rosoboronexport (literally, Russian Defence Export), the sole state agency entitled to engage in international arms trading and the implementation of technical-military cooperation policies.
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Russia’s arms monopoly is a valued supplier to the Pentagon.
For many nations involved in arms exports, there is often much more at stake than simply improving their balance of payments.
