It’s been three years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Arms Trade Treaty, an agreement that aims to regulate the international trade of conventional weapons in order to curb the illicit trade of arms and ammunition.

The international arms trade is estimated to be nearly an $80 billion industry worldwide, and as conflicts wage around the world, our student fellow Taylor Stevens sat down with international arms trade expert Rachel Stohl to shed light on the shadowy industry of illicit arms, the progress of the ATT, and how the arms trade can reveal trends for conflicts still waging in the Middle East.

Read the full interview here.