ABSTRACT
This chapter looks for signs of progress toward resolution of the various armament dilemmas. The political dilemma of armament concerns the difficulty of political influence through arms transfers or the use of force and the necessity of political control over weapon transfers. Sound policy regarding the dilemmas of armament requires the participation of the full array of actors and interest groups involved in the "weapons game". The weapons transfers, and announcements of arms purchases, have aggravated long-standing tension between India and Pakistan. The arms transfers complicate political and economic relations by affording recipients somewhat greater freedom of action while perpetuating interdependence and supplier involvement. This interdependence reinforces the conclusion that international arms transfer controls must be premised on agreements both among suppliers and between them and arms recipients. Certainly independent members of the international system of nations retain the sole legitimate political right to arm.
