Towards an International Regime On Small Arms Trade: Progress and Problems

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2002

School

Coastal Resilience

Abstract

In the aftermath of the Cold War, the global arms trade showed a downward trend. From 1990 through 1995, worldwide arms exports declined by 73 per cent.1 By 1997, the value of major arms transfers was approximately $25 billion, which was 62 per cent of the value of the arms trade in 1986.2 As a result, major international arms manufacturers sought to diversify their sales and expand their markets. Concurrently, there was mounting international pressure by specific nations and non-governmental organizations to ban certain types of weapons, including landmines and limit the global trade in small arms and light weapons. However, the US, the world's sole military superpower, opposed these efforts. This article makes an attempt to examine various efforts to develop a regime which limits the global trade in small arms.

Publication Title

International Studies

Volume

39

Issue

4

First Page

365

Last Page

385

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