From: Jonathan Nitzan and Shimshon Bichler
To: all interested parties
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Conference Panel on "THE CHANGING POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ARMS EXPORTS"
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Planning for the coming URPE meetings to be held in Washington in
January of 1995, we are trying to set up a panel on the CHANGING
POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ARMS EXPORTS.
Over the past decade, the nature and scope of military exports has
undergone substantial changes. From the "macro" perspective, these
changes have been affected by developments such as the end of the Cold
War, the ongoing realignment in the Middle East and the renewed arms
race in the Far East. From the "micro" perspective, there were
significant changes in the structure of military industries -- such as
the growing corporate concentration in the American and European defense
sectors which are now facing increasing challenges from producers in
Japan, the "newly industrialized countries" and the Third World.
As we see it, one possible focus for the panel could be the
interaction of these two types of developments -- that is, the
interaction between the macroeconomics/macropolitics of arms exports on
the one hand, and the underlying institutional/structural/power aspects
of such exports on the other. The topic is obviously related to issues
such as "state autonomy," the role of large firms in international
political economy, etc., and the papers could be theoretical or
empirical. Other emphases are also possible, provided they are related
to the broad topic.
Our own contribution will be a paper on the interaction between
oil exports and arms imports in the Middle East. Specifically, we focus
on the role of the large oil companies and military contractors in the
progressive militarization of the Middle East, and assess the
relationship between this process and repeated eruption of "energy
conflicts."
If you would like to present a paper or be discussant in such a
panel, let us know. Send E-Mail to
Jonathan Nitzan
Bitnet: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
