Conclusion

This chapter shows that the military assistance given by communist nations is almost as diverse and varied as the number of countries in the arms assistance game. As the Soviet Union is by far the largest purveyor of weapons among communist countries, there should be concern about the fact that in 1980 the Soviet Union surpassed the United States in total military assistance. North Korea should be seen as a neutral, even though it is receiving much more military assistance from the Soviet Union than from China. The Soviet Union and China clearly give priority to nations in geopolitically strategic areas. Geopolitical thinking and strategic perceptions seem to influence the military assistance of other communist nations as well. The Soviet Union's large military aid program to India represents an effort to upset the balance of power on the subcontinent in favor of India and to its own advantage.