arms trade

By Seungho

As the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2013 (hereafter, "Seoul ADEX 2013") started on 28th October, 22 civil society organizations in South Korea engaged in a series of actions targeting the largest arms fair in the Asia-Pacific region. The coalition organized an alternative exhibition of their own in response to the Seoul ADEX 2013, and named it the Peace and Disarmament Exhibition. While Seoul ADEX 2013 focused on new technology or advancement of weapon systems, the Peace and Disarmament Exhibition put emphasis on the inevitable consequences of the arms trade and tried to unveil the naked face of the arms fair.

Anne-Marie O'Reilly

A key event for the international arms trade took place in London from 9-13 Sept: the DSEi arms fair which hosted 1500 arms companies and 30,000 arms buyers and sellers.

The UK government’s invite list was a roll call of authoritarian regimes and human rights abusers. Unarmed protesters have been killed this year on the streets of Bahrain, Turkey, and Brazil. Yet not only were the companies which supplied the teargas used in this repression at DSEi, each of their militaries was there too - at the invitation of the UK government's arms sales unit.

Terry Crawford-Browne

After more than a decade of cover-ups and denials, South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma in September 2011 told the national executive council of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) that he would lose the case I had brought against him in the Constitutional Court (CC). Zuma reportedly only agreed to my demand for a commission of inquiry into the arms deal scandal to avoid having the CC dictate to him.

5 - 12 October

The Drone Campaign Network’s Week of Action is part of International Keep Space for Peace Week. Here is a list of events so far - to let us know of an event not listed here please email us info@dronecampaignnetwork.org.uk.

Please consider organising an event in your area focusing on the use of drones.

Week of Action Details so far:

On October 7th, activists from Vredesactie and Agir pour la Paix were taking action against the European Commission. Posing as arms dealers they hosted a Thank You EU reception in a pool of blood. “The arms dealers thank the EU for its generous support”, was the message. With the action Vredesactie and Agir pour la Paix draw attention to the growing militarisation of the European Union. They also denounce the grip of the arm industry on EU policy.

Wendela de Vries

The second biggest arms company of Europe, EADS, has its headquarters in the Netherlands. Although these headquarters are not much more than a mailbox – EADS has the same tax policies as Starbucks – it means the company falls under Dutch law and has to have an annual shareholders meeting in Amsterdam. It has become a good Dutch tradition to welcome the EADS shareholders with banners and loud noise.

The UK government is welcoming the world’s worst human rights abusing regimes to shop for weapons in London. WHAT WILL YOU DO?

A massive arms fair is planned to take place in the UK in September 2013. The UK government plans to invite human rights abusing regimes, such as Algeria, Bahrain, Colombia, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, to the London arms fair to court them and sell them weapons.

This year's annual meeting of the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) took place in Zurich, Switzerland. It was great that activists from almost a dozen European countries could come to the meeting. We were especially pleased that, for the first time, someone from Slovakia could report on the situation in her country.

Coming up next month is the Disarmament Camp in Burghfield, Britain from 26 August - 7 September. The camp, run by Trident Ploughshare, is part of the Action AWE campaign that is acting to halt nuclear weapons production at the Atomic Weapons Establishment factories at Aldermaston and Burghfield. Groups are coming from Finland, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy and Belgium – it would be great if more people would be able to join us!

War Profiteers' New, No 38, April 2013

On 15 April there were more than 120 actions worldwide as part of the Global Day of Action on Military Spending, an initiative coordinated by the International Peace Bureau (IPB). The day of action coincided with the annual release of SIPRI's figures on military spending. According to SIPRI, in the last year there was a slight decrease (0.5%) of the world military expenditure. However, China - the second largest spender in 2012 - increased its expenditure by 7.8 per cent ($11.5 billion). Russia - the third largest spender - increased its expenditure by 16 per cent ($12.3 billion). Annual world military spending continues at around $1.5 trillion dollars. WRI released a statement in support of the day of action, and helped to coordinate and promote activities. You can read report from the various events on this site.

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By Wendela de Vries

According to the Control Arms Coalition, which lobbied for a United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), we have reached “the dawn of a new era” now that the UN General Assembly has adopted the treaty. With this treaty, “history has been made” and we “finally can end arms exports to human rights violators.” Critical voices are put aside as “the tiny minority of sceptics who were intent on wrecking the process” and the blame for the initial failure to adopt the treaty is put on Iran, Syria and North Korea. UN Secretary-General called the treaty “a victory for the people of the world”. With such oversimplified communication one cannot escape the impression that some people try to clamour down their own doubt.

Every year, the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) meets to discuss the latest developments in the arms trade and military industries. The 2013 annual meeting will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, from the 14th - 16th of June.

The annual meetings are also a great place to swap ideas about strategies and campaigns to confront war profiteers. Arms export policy still remains primarily an issue of national regulations, but the military industry works internationally. The ENAAT meeting is an excellent occasion to forge plans regarding how to collaborate across national borders.