Panamanian officials earlier this month
stopped a ship headed to North Korea from Havana and found parts of fighter
jets and surface-to-air
missiles onboard. Statements by Cuba claim the equipment was
headed to North Korea for repair, but the incident has raised concerns about
the frequency and scale of illegal arms trafficking in the region. Is arms
smuggling through the Panama Canal a major problem? Who is responsible
(governments, businesses, others) for the costs of monitoring the illicit
weapons trade in the Americas? What are the consequences of it?
-snip-
“The recent discovery and
seizure of weapons aboard the Chong Chon Gang in the Panama Canal is only the tip
of the illicit arms trade iceberg in Central America and the Caribbean. The
trade in lethal arms is facilitated by porous borders, weak and overwhelmed
judicial systems, inadequate institutional structures and a general lack of
government capacity for managing multiple, complex and interconnected
challenges in countries throughout the region.. …”
To read the full commentary, click
here.