Jennifer Erickson
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231170963
- eISBN:
- 9780231539036
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231170963.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
This book assesses the impact of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that was approved by the United Nations in 2013 and which set legally binding standards to regulate global arms exports. It explores the ...
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This book assesses the impact of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that was approved by the United Nations in 2013 and which set legally binding standards to regulate global arms exports. It explores the reasons top arms-exporting democracies have put aside past sovereignty, security and economic worries in favor of humanitarian arms transfer controls, and follows the early effects of this about-face on export practice. The book explains that this groundbreaking treaty reflects a growing concern that small and major conventional arms play a significant role in perpetuating human rights violations, conflict and societal instability worldwide. It shows that, while many countries once staunchly opposed shared export controls, they are now beginning to embrace numerous agreements, such as the ATT. The book begins with a brief history of failed modern arms-export control initiatives and then tracks arms transfer trends over time. It pinpoints the normative shifts in the 1990s that put humanitarian arms control on the table, and reveals that many states committed to these policies out of concern for their international reputations. It also highlights how arms-trade scandals threaten domestic reputations and thus help improve compliance. Using statistical data and interviews conducted in France, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States, the book challenges existing IR theories of state behavior, while providing insight into both the role of reputation as a social mechanism and the importance of government transparency and accountability in generating compliance with new norms and rules.Less
This book assesses the impact of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that was approved by the United Nations in 2013 and which set legally binding standards to regulate global arms exports. It explores the reasons top arms-exporting democracies have put aside past sovereignty, security and economic worries in favor of humanitarian arms transfer controls, and follows the early effects of this about-face on export practice. The book explains that this groundbreaking treaty reflects a growing concern that small and major conventional arms play a significant role in perpetuating human rights violations, conflict and societal instability worldwide. It shows that, while many countries once staunchly opposed shared export controls, they are now beginning to embrace numerous agreements, such as the ATT. The book begins with a brief history of failed modern arms-export control initiatives and then tracks arms transfer trends over time. It pinpoints the normative shifts in the 1990s that put humanitarian arms control on the table, and reveals that many states committed to these policies out of concern for their international reputations. It also highlights how arms-trade scandals threaten domestic reputations and thus help improve compliance. Using statistical data and interviews conducted in France, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States, the book challenges existing IR theories of state behavior, while providing insight into both the role of reputation as a social mechanism and the importance of government transparency and accountability in generating compliance with new norms and rules.
Jennifer L. Erickson
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231170963
- eISBN:
- 9780231539036
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231170963.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
This chapter describes the commitment to “responsible” arms export initiatives of the world's top five arms-exporting states: Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. ...
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This chapter describes the commitment to “responsible” arms export initiatives of the world's top five arms-exporting states: Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Conventional arms are indeed the cornerstone of military strategy and an industrial base important to political, security, and economic interests. France, despite the persistent decrease in unemployment, opted to join in the drafting of arms export control mainly owing to the government's commitment to UN processes. Given the economic importance of arms production, the United Kingdom agreed to support arms export initiatives in order to level the global playing field and to glamorize the defense industry's reputation. Unlike the two aforementioned states, Germany and Belgium have been neither an obstacle nor a catalyst for multilateral arms export initiatives. In stark contrast, whether or not the United States support these arms export initiatives, the super state comes unabated.Less
This chapter describes the commitment to “responsible” arms export initiatives of the world's top five arms-exporting states: Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Conventional arms are indeed the cornerstone of military strategy and an industrial base important to political, security, and economic interests. France, despite the persistent decrease in unemployment, opted to join in the drafting of arms export control mainly owing to the government's commitment to UN processes. Given the economic importance of arms production, the United Kingdom agreed to support arms export initiatives in order to level the global playing field and to glamorize the defense industry's reputation. Unlike the two aforementioned states, Germany and Belgium have been neither an obstacle nor a catalyst for multilateral arms export initiatives. In stark contrast, whether or not the United States support these arms export initiatives, the super state comes unabated.
Matthias Bieri and Christian Nünlist
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- July 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198790501
- eISBN:
- 9780191831737
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198790501.003.0024
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
The Ukraine crisis serves as a tragic reminder of how fragile European security still is—twenty-five years after the cold war ended. As the only inclusive European security organization, the ...
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The Ukraine crisis serves as a tragic reminder of how fragile European security still is—twenty-five years after the cold war ended. As the only inclusive European security organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) once more demonstrates how useful cooperative security instruments can be to de-escalate international tensions. This chapter focuses on the OSCE’s contribution to cooperative security in Europe after 1990, in particular in the field of conventional arms control and the building of confidence and security between European armed forces. It reviews the arms-control regime in Europe and explains why military transparency as achieved with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), the Vienna Document, and the Treaty on Open Skies is again needed in a post-2014 security environment. The chapter also highlights that, while the Ukraine crisis underscored its need for reform, adapting the arms-control regime in Europe has become even more difficult.Less
The Ukraine crisis serves as a tragic reminder of how fragile European security still is—twenty-five years after the cold war ended. As the only inclusive European security organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) once more demonstrates how useful cooperative security instruments can be to de-escalate international tensions. This chapter focuses on the OSCE’s contribution to cooperative security in Europe after 1990, in particular in the field of conventional arms control and the building of confidence and security between European armed forces. It reviews the arms-control regime in Europe and explains why military transparency as achieved with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), the Vienna Document, and the Treaty on Open Skies is again needed in a post-2014 security environment. The chapter also highlights that, while the Ukraine crisis underscored its need for reform, adapting the arms-control regime in Europe has become even more difficult.
