Exposing these myths reveals the final and most important fact: Change is Possible
As 2016 comes to an end, it is easy to
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Myth 7: Now is not the time
Over the past few years, and especially with the calamitous events of 2016, the world has become more dangerous. But
Read moreMyth 6: National security requires blanket secrecy
For some aspects of defence and security, there is a clear justification for secrecy by governments: war planning, technical details
Read moreMyth 5: Corruption in the arms trade is only a problem in developing countries
Corruption is a feature of the arms trade the world over, developed and developing countries alike. Former finance expert Joe
Read moreMyth 4: National arms industries are technologically innovative job creators
When security justifications for military spending and arms trade falter, the economic
Read moreMyth 3: We can control where go after they’re purchased and how they are used
Criticisms of arms sales by western countries are invariably met with the response that governments exercise extreme care when approving
Read moreMyth 2: Military spending is driven by security concerns
The decisions to build, sell or buy weapons systems often have little to do with defending the nation. Other factors
Read moreMyth 1: Higher military spending equals increased security
The world spends a lot on preparing for war, $1686 billion at the last estimate by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
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Corruption in the Indonesian arms business
Authors Xiaodon Liang and Sam Perlo-Freeman examine the problem of corruption in the military sector in Indonesia in the post-Suharto era, in particular in relation to arms procurement, and discuss the significance of recent tentative signs of greater efforts by the Indonesian civil and military authorities to address the problem. It illustrates crucial points about democratization and corruption in the arms trade.
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How Big is the International Arms Trade?
A new Occasional Paper by Sam Perlo-Freeman, attempts to produce a global estimate, or rather a range of estimates of the financial size of the international arms trade. The paper also explains problems with the data, including for some of the largest western arms exporters, from whom one might expect a greater level of transparency: most notably, the USA.
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