Pick of the week – living with the arms trade

The brutal reality of the arms trade continues to affect civilians across the world, prompting many of the humanitarian crises on which Channel 16 reports. With news coming through this week that more Somalis were displaced by fighting than by drought in October, it is important not to forget the role of man-made disasters in making and breaking lives. For this pick of the week, Channel 16 brings together some of the latest news and opinion pieces on this issue.

1. ‘The clout of the arms industry‘

For its December issue, the New Internationalist has decided to focus specifically on the influence that the arms industry continues to exert. In this article, Dinyar Godrej considers why governments frequently prioritise arms spending over public services. The New Internationalist video also makes this point powerfully.

2. ‘Cluster Bombs: Nations Reject Weakening of Global Ban‘

Discussing the international regulations surrounding the use of weapons is particularly relevant this week, given the attempts of the US to challenge the all-encompassing 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions with a weaker alternative. Read this Human Rights Watch article for more how their efforts failed. Alternatively, check out this readable Headscrolls blogpost on the latest events.

3. ‘The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade‘

Andrew Feinstein’s new book uncovers the corruption underpinning many weapons deals, discussing an incredible range of countries in the process and reflecting how far-reaching this issue is. Click here to read the transcript of the interview he gave to the Carnegie Council on 18 November 2011.