War profiteers news

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A banner reading "From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have to go!"
Issue number
60
March 2018
European border security and India's growing imports

War, and how Switzerland profits

Swiss activists hold a banner reading "Stop the arms trade"

The promotion of peace and human rights is a priority of Swiss foreign policy. But consistency doesn’t seem to be a highly held value in the small Alpine country; not only do Swiss financial institutions - like private and public banks, insurance companies and pension funds - invest billions in arms producing companies all over the world, Swiss-made weapons and military technology are used in many conflicts.

War profiteer of the Month: Thales

A Watchkeeper 450 drone in flight

Thales is a French company, part owned by the French government, that builds a vast range of radars, sonars and electronic surveillance satellites, tactical communication systems and combat management systems, drones, helicopter avionics, armoured vehicles, mortar systems and missiles.

India becomes world's biggest importer of weapons

Nag missile and the Nag missile Carrier Vehicle (NAMICA) on display at DEFEXPO-2008 in Delhi. Credit: Ajai Shukla/Wikipedia. CC2.5

Research released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that over the last five years, India has become the world's biggest importer of arms, accounting for 12% of all arms imports between 2013 and 2017, and a signifant increase (24%) on the previous five years.

Finnish activists challenge arms exports to conflict areas

A poster from the Finnish campaign against arms exports.

For the past few years, the Finnish arms trade has been changing. Data compiled by the peace and security think-tank SaferGlobe shows that the largest export region used to be the European Union, since 2015 the top position has been taken by Middle Eastern countries.

Frontex hires notorious Israeli drones for border security trials

A protest against the border wall between Mexico and the USA

In the course of this year Frontex, the EU border guard agency, will test two military UAVs (drones) for maritime border surveillance in the Mediterranean Sea: the Heron from Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Falco from Italian arms giant Leonardo (formerly Finmeccanica).

French government criticised for arms sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE

An airstrike in Sana'a, Yemen, in 2015. A cloud of smoke rises from behind buildings. The sun is rising to the left of the picture.

A new report from French human rights group says the French government may have breached international law in it's sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, that could be used in their war on Yemen.