The global arms trade impacts countries and societies in conflict and at peace. Internal security challenges as well as regional and international instability all drive demand for weapons, sometimes with unanticipated consequences. Today’s complex global conflicts and shifting security partnerships underscore the need for examining recent trends in the global arms market.
Each year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) publishes a report on recent trends in international arms transfers. Drawn from the world’s most detailed public database on global arms transfers, these reports identify top exporters and importers of major conventional weapons as well as shifts in the international and regional arms trade. March 16, 2015 was the U.S. launch of SIPRI’s most recent report. This event presented major findings from the report, and highlighted key trends in global arms transfers from 2010 – 2014.
This event was co-hosted by the Forum on the Arms Trade and the Stimson Center.
WHAT: A discussion on prospects for greater responsibility and transparency in the global arms trade, particularly as countries continue to grapple with how best to respond to a growing number of security challenges and whether and how to arm actors in ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa.
Featuring:
Aude Fleurant, Director, Arms and Military Expenditure Programme, SIPRI
Jeff Abramson, Founder, Forum on the Arms Trade
Moderated by:
Rachel Stohl, Senior Associate, Managing Across Boundaries, Stimson Center
FOLLOW: The Stimson Center, SIPRI, Forum Arms Trade, Jeff Abramson and Rachel Stohl on Twitter for event news, and use #StimsonToday to join the conversation.