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.