{
  "id": "97-512",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "97-512",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 100676,
      "date": "1997-08-05",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:58:01.914941",
      "title": "Conventional Arms Transfers to Latin America: U.S. Policy",
      "summary": "This report provides background on United States policy regarding conventional arms transfers\nto\nLatin America. It focuses on the development of U.S. policy toward arms sales and transfers to Latin\nAmerica, and the debate over modifying existing policy and practices regarding such sales and\ntransfers to countries in this region. United States policy on arms transfers to Latin America, as\nimplemented, has gone through various modifications over the last forty years. However, there has\nalways been some reluctance to provide large quantities of arms to this region. And, there has been\na fundamental interest in not making sales or transfers of highly advanced weapons systems, such\nas combat fighter aircraft, that could undermine regional military balances or stimulate an arms race.\n  While there has been no generic \"ban\" on arms transfers to Latin American nations, there have\nbeen specific legislative controls and executive branch practices applied to this region that have\nrestricted the flow of American weaponry into it. Recently, United States arms transfer practices\nregarding Latin America were clarified by the Clinton Administration, although they remain the\nsubject of a debate over what approach the United States should follow. A review of the\ndevelopment of U.S. policy and practices toward arms transfers to this region follows to provide a\ncontext for understanding recent actions.\n  Some in Congress have expressed concern that the United States might stimulate an avoidable\narms race in Latin America should it permit American defense firms to sell highly advanced weapons\nsystems to this region. They have expressed particular concern with the prospect that the United\nStates might sell very sophisticated combat fighter aircraft and the prospect that this would divert\nscarce financial resources that could be better spent in other ways. Others argue that it is appropriate\nfor the United States to assist in the modernization of Latin American military forces, especially in\nlight of the growth of democratic institutions there, and the practical need some nations have to\nreplace obsolescent military equipment. Chile is the most likely candidate for a sale that would give\ntangible effect to the Clinton Administration's approach to U.S. arms sales to Latin America. Chile\nis considering the purchase of a modern combat fighter to upgrade its Air Force. In late March 1997,\nthe Clinton Administration gave the U.S. companies who build the F-16 and F-18 fighters\npermission to provide technical data regarding these aircraft to the Chilean government, while noting\nthat just because it has permitted U.S. defense companies to compete for the Chilean aircraft sale\ndoes not necessarily mean that it would approve a sale request from Chile's government. If and when\nChile should choose to request the sale of an American fighter aircraft, the Clinton Administration\nwould, at that point, have to agree to make such a sale or issue an export license for a commercial\nsale, and then justify that sale to Congress in accordance with the terms of the Arms Export Control\nAct. Congress, in turn, would have the opportunity to disapprove that sale by enactment of a joint\nresolution, should it choose to do so.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
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          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/97-512",
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      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Intelligence and National Security",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}