Current trends in armaments and militarism in the third world countries must be assessed against a background of imperialism and in relation to the tendency to use nuclear power for peaceful ends and oil power for militaristic ends. Discussion of these factors with relation to China, India, and the Arab countries requires examination of militaristic attitudes and the activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Arab world's discovery of oil power and subsequent formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are also discussed. It appears that interconnections among different sectors of policy exist along with interdependence among nations. The pursuit of disarmament or arms control cannot be separated from the struggle for equity in world politics. Since the power of the oil-producing nations is contributing toward a new world order, a new international military order becomes one precondition for a new international economic order. China's experimental rockets, India's nuclear devices, and the Arab consortium's arms industry may have to be placed alongside of OPEC as part of their total leverage if there is to be a change toward greater equity between developing and developed nations. Because nuclear capacity is linked with the third world's quest for dignity and power, some degree of proliferation may be the price for equality. (Author/KC)