Lumpe, Lora. A NEW APPROACH TO THE SMALL ARMS TRADE (Arms Control Today, vol. 31, no. 1, January/February 2001, pp. 11-17)

The July 2001 global conference on small arms and light weapons to be held at the U.N. will throw "a spotlight on the gun-running that sustains bloody conflict around the world and it will provide an important platform for civil society ... to press governments for serious action," the author says. Lumpe writes that firearms, grenade launchers, mortars and other infantry-type light weapons circulating beyond lawful state control has a humanitarian impact that "exceeds that of anti-personnel landmines." She recommends remedial action by national governments including "controlling arms brokering, barring covert arms supply operations and limiting production surpluses." The conference will likely result in a non-binding political declaration without any enforcement mechanism, she says. The question remains, she says, whether the conference will result in a public relations effort or help build worldwide consensus needed to spur short-term action. This article is currently available on the Internet at: http://www.armscontrol.org/ACT/janfeb01/lumpejanfeb01.html

Chalk, Peter. LIGHT ARMS TRADING IN SE ASIA (Jane's Intelligence Review, vol. 13, no. 3, March 1, 2001, pp. 42-45)

The illicit trade in small arms has significant implications for security and stability in Southeast Asia, the author says. He describes how illicit arms trade thwarts the consolidation of still weak democracies by encouraging official corruption, undermines societal and cultural development in many states, threatens the long-term evolution of mature political institutions, and directly impacts on fiscal stability and management. Evidence suggests that Cambodia, Thailand, Pakistan, China, and North Korea all have roles in promoting the illicit trade, he says. Chalk concludes that several steps "can and should be taken" to stem the trade, including tagging weapons and ammunition to promote supplier trade ability, concluding multilateral agreements on destruction of surplus armament stocks, and creating a specific Southeast Asian small arms register.

Boutwell, Jeffrey; Klare, Michael T. A SCOURGE OF SMALL ARMS (Scientific American, vol. 282, no. 6, June 2000, pp. 48-53)

The authors, co-directors of the Project on Light Weapons at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, examine the increasing use of small weapons and analyze their impact upon regional wars around the world. Small arms are popular weapons throughout the world because they are easily accessible, relatively low-cost, and deadly as well as easy to use and transport. Boutwell and Klare also suggest strategies for effective control of light weapons including global arms control agreements, stricter standards by arms suppliers, international peacekeeping efforts, and better tracking of arms trades. This article is currently available on the Internet at: http://www.sciam.com/2000/0600issue/0600boutwell.html

Smith, Chris. THE 2001 CONFERENCE-BREAKING OUT OF THE ARMS CONTROL FRAMEWORK (Disarmament Forum, no. 2, 2000, pp. 39-45)

As the 2001 United Nations Conference on small arms draws nearer, the author believes one of two scenarios will take place. The conference will either be a watershed event in which non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, and certain governments are persuaded to adopt a more systematic approach to the small arms problem. Or the conference could be a politically expensive failure. The article highlights many of the difficulties related to the small arms problem. One such difficulty is the major confrontation between those who wish to control or ban light weapons and those who believe that irresponsible users are to blame, not the weapons themselves. The author stresses the uniqueness of small arms proliferation, and how this problem requires different solutions than those used in conventional arms control. Chris Smith believes that a full understanding of the scale of this problem, along with a commitment of resources by developed nations to help lesser-developed nations with this problem would be a successful result of the conference.

Laurance, Edward J. SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS AS A DEVELOPMENT AND DISARMAMENT ISSUE (Bonn International Center for Conversion Conference Paper from "Converting Defense Resources to Human Development," pp. 1-14)

Laurance starts by noting that although the world is more peaceful than in the past, the types of conflicts that we now deal with exact a large price. The use of small arms has increased in these new types of conflicts. The increase is blamed on both the supply and demand. (Those disarming or advancing to newer weapons provide the supply and those who find small weapons easy to transport and to use in various situations increase the demand.) Unfortunately, such weapons lead to more fights since they are easy to obtain and use, allowing conflicts to by-pass non-violent phases such as mediation. Small arms have a devastating effect on citizens who are both wounded and killed as well as the recipients of the resultant economic and social ills that often follow an armed conflict. The author goes on to note what the international community is doing (up until 1997). Action has begun to combat small arms distribution and use. These actions are insufficient although well intended. More needs to be done including a treaty to set goals. The seriousness of small weapons is not to be taken lightly. This article is currently available on the Internet at: http://www.bicc.de/general/events/devcon/laurance.html

Fawthrop, Tom. 900,000 SMALL ARMS PLAGUE CAMBODIA (Jane's Intelligence Review, vol. 13, no. 4, April 1, 2001, p. 6)

Cambodian officials have collected more than 107,000 weapons and have destroyed more than 40,000 in a major government campaign that began in 1998, Fawthrop says. However, illegal arms are still available in the country despite a government crackdown, and illegal arms are still being sold within the country to a variety of groups from throughout Southeast Asia. Estimates vary widely by the number of light weapons in circulation are estimated between 500,000 and 900,000, he writes. Nevertheless, he says Cambodia has made weapons ownership illegal in addition to the nationwide collection campaign to rein in the proliferation of light weapons. The Cambodian experience of post-war transition, and its attempts to control the availability of light weapons is being closely watched by the United Nations and others.

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