We examine some putative effects of disarmament and strategic realignm
ent in the 1990s. We argue that the political and strategic contexts w
hich resulted in the cold war and the militarization of economies have
changed in important ways. Yet, unless specific attempts are made to
realign various economies to these new contexts, the short term econom
ic benefits of disarmament are likely to be limited and the long term
prospects for political, economic, and strategic restructuring will be
constrained. We argue further that the costs of ''peace'' in the shor
t-run may be significant, if that peace is to include disarmament that
includes both reductions of military expenditures and physical limita
tions of armaments. However, we caution against judging the benefits o
f disarmament in solely economic terms.