The Long - and Unfinished Road - to Globally Regulating Small Arms and Light Weapons
7 Pages Posted: 20 Mar 2012 Last revised: 1 Apr 2012
Date Written: March 1, 2010
Abstract
While combating the transport and distribution of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has garnered impressive international action this decade, a 15-year journey to regulate the equally deadly and destabilizing “small arms and light weapons” (SALW) has thus far failed to produce a comprehensive treaty. Reaching consensus on how to regulate the transfer and distribution of the AK-47 and the more than 600 million SALW has proved particularly challenging because it requires balancing national security interests with internationally accepted regulatory protocols.
Keywords: AK 47, Small Arms and Light Weapons, Arms Trade Treaty, United Nations, Diplomacy, weapons, Africa, weapons of mass destruction, WMD, regulate,
JEL Classification: H5, H7
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation