This month the United Nations will discuss its Program of Action on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Please encourage our administration to join the British-led effort for stricter guidelines on the international transfer of such weapons.
Arms should not be transferred to deadly conflict zones, U.S. designated terrorist organizations, or those who are violating human rights. That is precisely what these guidelines will help prevent.
Such small arms have stimulated crime, terrorism, and heinous human rights violations from Rwanda to the Sudan (despite an arms embargo).
Like many others, I am under no illusions that this will set anything more than a minimal standard. I do think, however, that the U.S. should not be silent when it comes to encouraging nations to act responsibly in their arms transfers.
UPDATE 6/15: Amnesty International: China is fast emerging as one of the world's biggest, most secretive and irresponsible arms exporters
Hard to believe something as obviously beneficial as this this wasn't passed decades ago. I wonder how many lives would have been saved.
Thank goodness that this measure has NOT passed. There is no need for the United Nation's to be altering our Constitution. One need only to look at some of the other "nations" that have become signatories....rampant crime, civil rights violations and the like.
Posted by: JPD at June 18, 2006 06:46 AMAs someone close to a person who works in law enforcement let me just say that the illicit arms trade is not just something that happens over there. If "fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here" works for you when describing our GWOT, then it should work for you in fighting the illicit arms trade that arms them. Both are connected and legitimate problems that need to be eradicated - right?
Posted by: JoeDuran at June 24, 2006 01:03 AM