Arms Trade

Introduction

The unregulated global arms trade inflicts misery worldwide. Every year thousands of people are killed, injured, raped and/or forced to flee their homes as a result. There are at least 640 million firearms in existence in the world today.  That's one for every ten people on the planet. The Arms Industry is an area that is of huge concern to many people around the world. The economics of this hugely important industry are a vital strand that needs to be understood(Cook, 100).

Arm Trade; A root of conflict and insecurity

Every year, millions around the world suffer as a result of the non-regulation of the global arms trade.

During the last three decades new global paradigms are emerging with far reaching effects on the lives of nations and peoples. Positive effects include economic liberalisation, improved global networking of peoples, emergence of information technology as change agent, and increasing global awareness among people. Negative fall outs include changes in the nature, scope and intensity of conflicts, increasing consumerism, erosion of family values and increasing criminalisation of societies(Cook, 125).  

These changes have also enlarged the classical perception of national security as relating to territorial security and domination. It now includes security issues relating to trade and commerce, energy resources, human development and well being, and the new genre of cyber security. Effects of these changes are as follows: 

Scope of conflicts: The traditional progression of conflicts from local to national to regional to international spheres has been short circuited. As a result even local conflicts can draw international attention and influence.

Enlarging conflict domains: More countries than ever before have demonstrated nuclear capability. Similarly increased membership of space club imparting spread of rocket and space technology. Space has become the fourth dimension of conflict apart from land, sea and air. This has resulted in expanding areas of interest and influence of nations.

Diffusion of military power: Modern technology has enabled smaller nations to assert their power increasing the areas of potential conflict. North Korea's nuclear weapons development is a typical example.

Terrorism: Terrorism has become a cost effective assertion of power by weak non state actors to take on powerful states. This was demonstrated by the 9/11 Al Qaeda terrorists strike in the U.S.,. Terrorists have availed benefits of increase in fire power, mobility and target acquisition capabilities of modern armies to their benefit(Boutwell, 200).

Arm Trade and UK

The industry's biggest customer is the British government, which last year placed orders worth about £13bn.

But the UK is also the world's second biggest arms exporter, behind the United States, with a market share of about 20%. It claims to directly employ 350,000, spread over 11,000 firms, with as many as 1.2 million people relying on it for a living. But the industry's opponents, such as the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, take a different view(Jeffrey, 80).

They say its economic significance has been overplayed for political reasons, and it actually employs about 120,000. They also point to the fact that the defence industry only accounts for about 3% ...