LIGHT WEAPONS
AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

1996

US$15 / £10, paperback, 170 pages, ISBN 81-85019-06-5
Available from BASIC in London or Washington

About the Book | Reviews | Contents |Order Form

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sniper rifles in Bosnia, landmines in Cambodia, assault rifles in Rwanda. In the dozens of conflicts around the world today, wars are being fuelled by a steady stream of light weapons, from AK-47s to shoulder-fired missiles. These weapons range from the latest technology available from legal government sources, to recycled weapons flowing through the black market from one conflict to the next, to homemade goods manufactured in a local basement. The sources of supply and routes of distribution are vast and complicated, but the end result is clear: these are killing weapons.

In a thought-provoking study of this phenomenon, experts from around the world provide valuable information and insight into the intricacies of the light weapons flows moving across borders today: the sources of supply and demand, the various channels that are used, their role in fuelling conflicts, the impact on society and the globalization of violence, and the prospects for control. Examining the dynamics at work behind flows of light weapons around the world, with a particular focus on Southern Africa and South Asia, the book is an informative introduction to this field.

Through case studies and essays, the book explores the relationships among regional stability, internal conflict, the narcotics trade, and light weapons transfers. Its groundbreaking analysis goes beyond traditional military assessments to feature sociological, political, and economic analyses of light weapons proliferation.

An in-depth examination of the issue, Light Weapons and International Security provides much-needed insight into the dynamics of light weapons transfers for policymakers, academics, diplomats, students of international relations, and anyone trying to grapple with the underlying causes of modern conflict, and the growing culture of violence.

Light Weapons and International Security contains the proceedings of an international workshop sponsored by the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) and the Indian and American affiliates of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, hosted in New Delhi by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Supported by a generous grant from the Ford Foundation, BASIC's Project on Light Weapons is a field development project designed to create an international network of analysts and advocates working on light weapons issues. 

REVIEWS

"This collection is an enlightening and comprehensive look at one of our planet's gravest problems. Until we regulate the trade in light weapons, arms dealers, just like drug traffickers and the slave traders, will continue to reap benefits at the cost of human lives in all countries of the world.

"It is only through tackling war, militarism and weapons of all sizes, on all levels and from all sides, that we will be able to realize our vision of a world in which extreme poverty and senseless violence are nothing but sad memories of the past."

Oscar Arias Sanchez
Former President of Costa Rica and 1987 Nobel Peace Laureate

"One of the book's greatest values is its policy relatedness, the deliberate linkage of all aspects of the complex problem to proposed sets of policy tools that would be applied internationally, regionally and nationally. At a time when the world is trying to contend with a wide spread of conflicts, most involving the exclusive use of small arms, the publication of the book cannot but be a major contribution to this effort."

Professor Margaret A. Vogt
Senior Associate, Africa Program, International Peace Academy

"The interest in the arms trade has shifted -- quite rightly -- to the trade in small arms: these are the weapons which do the killing. This book on light weapons is, in my view, the best book so far to shed light on this murky area."

Frank Blackaby
Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) from 1981-1986, and founder of its Arms Trade Register and Arms Trade Project

"As somebody who has seen the horrors of conflict first-hand, I know the crucial role that light weapons play in the devastation and loss of human life. This book provides an informed overview of the complex nightmare of light weapons proliferation, and assembles disturbing evidence of the extent of light weapons flows. Its pioneering analysis convincingly establishes the absolute priority to stem the flows of these deadly weapons."

Lord Judd of Portsea
House of Lords, UK

"This short volume documents in devastating detail the heavy burden that the proliferation of light weapons places on a world still torn by intra-state conflict. It can be hoped that efforts of this type will result in this major problem receiving greater high-level attention."

Ambassador Paul C. Warnke
Former Director, US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

CONTENTS

FOREWORD: Francesco Calogero

INTRODUCTION: Jasjit Singh

CHAPTER 1: Light Weapons Diffusion and Global Violence in the Cold War Era, Michael T. Klare

CHAPTER 2: Internal Conflict and the Role of Light Weapons, Prashant Dikshit

CHAPTER 3: Light Weapons and Conflict in Southern Asia, Jasjit Singh

CHAPTER 4: Southern Asia: The Narcotics and Weapons Linkage, Tara Kartha

CHAPTER 5: A Sociological Account of Light Weapons Proliferation in Southern Africa, Jacklyn Cock

CHAPTER 6: Analysing Policy Proposals to Limit Light Weapons Transfers, Susannah L. Dyer and Natalie J. Goldring

CHAPTER 7: Collecting and Organising Data on the Manufacture of, and Trade in, Light Weapons, Bronwyn Brady

CHAPTER 8: Controlling the Spread, Jasjit Singh

SUMMARY: Susannah L. Dyer and Natalie J. Goldring

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ORDER FORM

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