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CIAO DATE: 04/05/07
Reality Check: The Danger of Small Arms Proliferation
by Rachel Stohl
While the world focuses on hypothetical consequences from the use of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons, another class of weapons is actually killing hundreds of thousands and devastating entire societies every year. These weapons, known as small arms and light weapons (hereafter small arms) are truly weapons of mass destruction. The need to address small arms proliferation and misuse is just as urgent and critical as their nuclear counterparts.
Small arms impact all dimensions of conflicts and their resolutions. Small arms are responsible for the majority of today's conflict deaths and thousands more injuries each year. Moreover, the spread and misuse of small arms cause, prolong, and exacerbate humanitarian crises and violent conflicts around the world and are the weapons of choice of terrorists.
In post-conflict societies, small arms may remain easily accessible and bring about the resumption of conflict. Small arms can also be used as tools of violence to disrupt the delivery of humanitarian assistance and obstruct development. The threat of small arms can prevent refugees from returning home and impede efforts to rebuild societies. Countries and regions neighboring conflict areas can also be affected by uncontrolled small arms proliferation, as these weapons can easily cross borders, igniting conflicts and enabling the commission of violent crimes. For countries at peace, small arms are responsible for murders and suicides, and are the weapon choice of criminals-causing over 200,000 deaths a year and countless more injuries.
From El Salvador to Sierra Leone and from Albania to the Philippines, small arms proliferation and misuse have taken their toll on millions of civilians and their societies. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the dangers posed by small arms proliferation and misuse are evident by continued casualties and the slow pace of reconstruction. In these two countries in particular, the widespread availability of small arms has put the establishment of security in peril, has greatly diluted the rule of law, and has been a significant impediment to peace. Around the world, small arms proliferation has contributed to the outbreak of conflicts, jeopardized the safety and security of peacekeepers and civilians, and obstructed conflict resolution. Small arms are a threat that cannot be ignored in efforts to promote international security.
PSI Emerges. Not long after the vex ing So San incident, President Bush announced on 31 May 2003 that the United States and several of its close allies were banding together to "keep the world's most destructive weapons away from our shores and out of the hands of our common enemies."4 Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom formed the original PSI group with the United States. Over the next year, Canada, Norway, Russia, and Singapore joined, and over forty additional countries voiced their support for the initiative's mission.
Small arms control does not lend itself to a "one size fits all" approach, because the weapons impact so many aspects of society- from furthering human rights abuses to stifling development. In general, states have two overarching goals for small arms control: stemming the proliferation and ending the misuse of the weapons. Unlike other weapons systems, there is no international treaty banning small arms (or certain types of small arms), nor are there consistent international standards concerning small arms transfer or use. Therefore, small arms control initiatives have taken a piecemeal approach, with states picking and choosing initiatives at the international, regional, or national level. Some state efforts are long-term in nature, such as developing international treaties to address the issue, but others are more short-term, such as enhancing cooperation and information sharing.
Rachel Stohl is Senior Analyst at the Center for Defense Information.