Arms Twisting – Why Won’t Obama Sign His Own Weapons Treaty Next Week?

Amid a rash of negative press and continued controversies, the Obama administration has an opportunity next week to celebrate an important foreign policy victory. On June 3, representatives of governments from around the world will come together to sign the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a landmark agreement that will save lives by regulating the international trade in conventional weapons.

The ATT manages the global arms trade in three ways: It establishes common international standards for the arms trade that countries must incorporate into their national systems for controlling the buying and selling of weapons; it enhances transparency of the traditionally murky world of arms sales by requiring countries to report on their international transfers and steps taken to prevent diversion into the illicit market; and it creates an environment of accountability, whereby countries are responsible for ensuring their arms sales meet global standards and norms.

To read the full op-ed, click here.

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This op-ed first appeared in Foreign Policy on May 30, 2013

Photo courtesy ISAF Public Affairs via Wikimedia Commons