Illicit Small Arms Trade

Transcription

1 Dear Delegates, My name is Alexis Noffke and I will be your Chair for the Disarmament and International Security Committee at SEMMUNA! I m really excited to be discussing the topic of the Illicit Small Arms Trade. I am a senior at Michigan State University studying International Relations and Comparative Cultures and Politics with a minor in French. I am from Lowell, Michigan and I just spent the summer abroad interning for an NGO in Paris and love French culture! A fun fact about me is that I have a twin sister who also goes to MSU. This is my eight year doing Model UN, I was in MUN all through high school and now compete collegiately for MSU s International Relation Organization and help put on our conference for high schoolers for MSUMUN. I am really passionate about DISEC, I ve been an assistant chair and a chair for this committee and I have been a delegate as well so I can t wait to see what you guys have to bring to the table. One of our assistant chairs is Emily Wiener. She is a junior at MSU studying Elementary Education. This is her third year of MUN and she has been an assistant chair and a chair. She also competes collegiately through MSUIRO. She is from Plymouth, Michigan and in her free time she loves watching Netflix and has a penchant for puns. Our other assistant chair is Ayelet Zamek. She is a sophomore at MSU studying International Relations with minors in Political Economy and Russian and Eurasian Studies. She is involved in MSUMUN and IRO. Her family lives in Hong Kong.

2 Illicit Small Arms Trade Introduction The illicit small arms trade, also known as gunrunning or arms trafficking, is the illegal trafficking or smuggling of contraband weapons and/or ammunitions. The types of weapons that is categorized into small arms, light weapons, and ammunition include handguns, rifles, shotguns, manual, semi automatic, full automatic weapons, man portable machine guns, manportable and vehicle mounted anti personnel, antitank and antiaircraft rockets, missiles, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, landmines, anti aircraft guns, mortars, hand grenades and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), and so on. These weapons comprise the Small Arms and Light weapons protocol as discussed at the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons. While most small arms trafficking appears to be conducted by private entities, certain governments also contribute to the illicit trade by deliberately arming proxy groups, or groups that a different state has sent aid, usually military to, that fight for a state s interest. They are usually involved in insurgencies against rival governments, terrorists with similar ideological agendas, or other non state armed groups. Illegal small arms are mostly used by criminals and drug dealers, or by warlords and child soldiers in war torn countries, even under arms embargoes. Conflicts that involve small arms claim an estimate of half a million people a year, 80% of them civilians. 1 History Illicit arms trading have been common since the invention of firearms. 2 A great example of an early form of illicit arms trading was the American patriots smuggling arms within the U.S. during the American Revolution. Illicit small arms came under the attention of the international community during the Cold War. United States and U.S.S.R, would smuggle weapons to smaller nations inciting civil wars and conflicts, a notable example of this was the Iran Contra affair when the United States attempted to secretly sell arms to Iran, which was under an embargo at the time. After the Cold War, there has been an increasing international attention that has been focused on problems arising from worldwide proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Small arms that have been smuggled have been used as tools of violence in ethnic and internal affairs. The largest exporters of small arms by volume are the European Union and the United States. In recent years the UN have met various times discussing plans for eliminating illicit arms trade, an example of this was the Arms Trade Treaty in New York on April 2 nd, The problem with illicit arms trade is that no matter how hard the UN tries to stop it, it does not stop. The high demand for small arms and the illegal nature of the weapons have set the price of the weapons very high. Because of this, suppliers are willing to take the risk to earn huge profits by smuggling illegal weapons.

3 Blocks North America North America, specifically the U.S. has been a large exporter of small arms internationally since the Cold War. In recent years the flow of weapons from the U.S. to Mexico and Latin America has undermined the U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere. 3 For example the Senate has rejected measures to expand background checks on firearms sales, reinstate federal assaultweapons ban, and make straw purchasing, where a person who is prohibited from buying firearms uses another person to buy a gun on their behalf, a federal crime. Even though the U.S. government agreed to intensify its efforts to combat the illicit arms trade in the western hemisphere with the launch of the Merida Initiative in , illegal arms continue to be traded illegally. Over 70% of the 90,000 weapons recovered by Mexican law enforcement in 2007 were traced back to U.S. manufacturers and importers etrace data for the Caribbean indicates that over 90% of the weapons recovered came from the U.S. Europe Europe, like the U.S., is a major exporter of small arms. In south eastern part of Europe, there is an uncontrolled proliferation of illicit trafficking in small arms. Economic powers like the UK and Russia export small arms around the world. UK sold small arms to over 100 countries between 1995 and Russia, or U.S.S.R., back in the Cold War exported small arms to various countries to destabilize the democratic governments and create a communist nation. 5 Africa There has been an increase of illicit arms trade over the recent years due to the increasing ethnic and religious conflicts. In recent years, the rise of blood diamond as increased the number of conflicts in Africa. The warlords who control the region incorporate children in their private armies. These child soldiers are often equipped with illicit small arms and are forced to fight for the warlords. Small arms are also used to equip ethnic groups involved in conflicts. Even though there are numerous deaths from these conflicts, the illegal trade of small arms increased because of the potential of large profit. Because of this, the illicit small arms trade has turned into an industry. However illegal trade of arms and activities caused by the small arms are supported and funded by nations outside of Africa. 6 The trade that exists is incredibly extensive and creates major difficulties, especially in areas where destabilization has already occurred.

4 Latin America The majority of illicit small arms in Latin America originated from the United States and Europe. The reason for the growth illicit arms trade is because of corruption within the government, lack of government, and the accessibility of small arms. The region s largest and most sophisticated black market arms trafficking network serves the ongoing armed conflict in Colombia, which has fueled an informal arms race involving multiple groups and private citizens. Almost all the illegal weapons crossing the borders into these South American countries are being used to fuel arms races and wars. Even with the efforts of the local government and the UN, illicit small arms trade has not slowed down and violence has only increased in the region. 7 Middle East Middle East s social, political, and military instability have turned the region into an ideal venue for illicit movements of arms and weapons. While countries like the United States, Russia, and China is responsible for exporting small arms to the region, the region s internal instability is the reason for the growth of illicit arms trade in the region. After the Cold War the region has become unstable due to the Israeli Arab conflict. To add to this, the US has increased the illicit arms trade in the region. The US armed the Iranians during the Iran Contra affair and in return these weapons made it onto the black market. Through invading Iraq, the US has begun to take steps to seize illicit arms, but this has pushed the trade further underground creating new problems in the Middle East in regards to weapons transportation. There have been many attempts to eliminate the illicit arms trade but there have not been any effective solutions as of yet. With the region being an importance source of fossil fuel, the UN continues to work hard to limit the illicit arms trade. Southeast & Far East Asia The biggest exporter of small arms in this originated from China. Weapons are often traded illegally in Southeast Asia particularly Cambodia and Thailand. The small arms are often used for conflicts between different political groups. This region particularly has large stockades of small arms because of past conflicts like the Sri Lankan civil war, and the conflict in Myanmar. Because small arms are so accessible in the region, gun related violence and other crimes are common. Current Events

5 United Nations have been trying to solve the issue of the illicit arms trade in order to end violence around the world. In 2002, United Nations delegates met in New York to hold the firstever United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects. This Conference gave representatives of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement the opportunity to remind States of the consequences in human terms of uncontrolled arms availability and to encourage governments to take urgent measures to strengthen the control on transfers of small arms and light weapons. During the conference, the UN adopted the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects or PoA where the goal was to lower the illicit trade of small arms. 8 Conclusion The illicit small arms trade spans the globe in with its effects, from the supply and demand coming from the West and the third world, respectively. The trade of illicit small arms can incite conflict where tensions arise and can lead to the arming of rebels that may turn into terrorist, as was the case in the Middle East, where the United States has repeatedly armed groups that were fighting for a regime change, but ended up on the opposing side of the United States. The United States has in the past armed organizations that would found Al Qaeda and many are concerned that they are making the same mistake in arming the Syrian rebels. In any case, these illicit arms are incredibly dangerous because of how easy it is to obtain and use them on a large scale that in many cases are against civilian populations. Decreasing, or even stopping, the illicit small arms trade will make our world a more stable, peaceful place and it is a step in the right direction to calm many of the conflicts that exist today. Questions 1. What can the UN do to prevent an increase of illicit arms trade? 2. Who should take responsibility for the trade of illegal arms the individuals involved or the governments that sponsored them? 3. How should the borders be enforced around the world to prevent illicit arms trading internationally? 4. What powers does the UN have to stop the trade of illicit arms? 5. What is the reason for the governments of 1st world countries to allow and even encourage the trade of illicit arms? 6. How should the local law enforcement deal with violence involving small arms? 7. What kind of power do people gain from having access to small arms in the black market? 8. Should illicit arms trade be dealt by the UN or by individual countries involved? 9. How harsh should the level of punishment be for those who are involved in the illicit small arms trade?

6 10. To what extent can violence from one region spread to another? Works Cited 1 "Small Arms they Cause 90% of Civilian Casualties." Global Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct "Small Arms." Hampshire College. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct "Small Arms Dialogue." SAIS Review 23.1 (2003): 303. Web. 22 Oct Sweig, Julia E. "A Strategy to Reduce Gun Trafficking and Violence in the Americas." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 22 Oct "Illegal Small Arms Trade Requires a Global Response." The Conversation. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct "UN Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms." The American Journal of International Law 95.4 (2001): Web. 23 Oct "The Illicit Trade Of Small Arms Geopoliticalmonitor.com."Geopoliticalmonitorcom The Illicit Trade Of Small Arms Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct "Small Arms, Large Problem: The International Threat of Small Arms Proliferation and Misuse Arms Control Association." N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct