Arms Export Regulations

Governments have a legal obligation to ensure effective control over arms exports and to monitor and supervise the movement of arms to ensure that they do not fall into unauthorized hands. The purpose of this book is to provide a detailed picture of how governments discharge this responsibility. Individual chapters describe national efforts to control arms transfers, concentrating on the legal framework that exists to regulate arms exports. The book includes a discussion of existing multilateral arms transfer control regimes, including the United Nations, the Co-ordinating Committee for East-West Trade Policy (CoCom), the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and arms embargoes agreed by the Council of Ministers of the European Community. Every effort has been made to produce a comprehensive compendium, but total success has been prevented by the continued failure of some governments to release adequate information into the public domain.

The arms trade : a critical introduction -- Governing arms transfers : the praxis of law and the evaluation of risk -- Fragile underpinning : the limits of EU Rules -- The EU criteria : a critical examination -- The UK : institutional and legal innovation, dangerous dependency -- The German control regime on arms exports -- Arms exports in France -- Sweden's arms export controls : balancing support and restraint -- The United States and arms exports -- Russian arms exports -- China as an arms exporter : the strategic contours of China's arms transfers -- India and arms exports -- Arms transfer regulation beyond national borders -- The arms trade treaty : a measure of global governance -- Future directions.

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are not necessarily acquired as entire systems. They are often assembled from parts and materials, many of which are dual-use?i.e., of both commercial and military utility. Often, suppliers of these components do not ask who their customers are or inquire about the intended application. This has for a long time been the Achilles? heel of well-intentioned nonproliferation conventions. The answer lies in more stringent export controls of weapons-related technologies. In this eye-opening collection of essays, sponsored by the Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia (USA), a group of outstanding experts in the nonproliferation field report on the efforts of five leading supplier countries?the United States, France, Russia, China, and India?to implement export controls on weapons and sensitive technologies used for producing WMD. The book is both reassuring and alarming in its very precise survey and analysis of export control regimes. At most national levels, regulation is rapidly making firms more accountable, and more industries are routinely implementing internal compliance programs. However, these advances are in a neck-to-neck race with intangible methods of transferring information, corporations with no national allegiance, and competition among international suppliers. Based on in-depth research?each of the contributors spent considerable time conducting interviews with government officials and other policy experts, observing policy making and implementation, and gathering empirical data?this detailed and thought-provoking book will be of great value to all concerned with security objectives for the twenty-first century.

The importance of export control laws and regulations in international trade continues to grow, not only because of the increase in world trade and technology dispersion, but also due to concerns surrounding national and regional stability and the risk of terrorism. Accordingly, familiarity with export control laws and regulations around the world has become extremely important for those involved in the international trade of dual-use or military goods, technology, and services. In this preeminent handbook, now in its third edition, two experienced professionals have gathered contributions from expert practitioners and academics. The third edition adds three new country chapters (Brazil, Israel, and Sweden) and a new separate chapter on sanctions and embargoes. In addition to chapters on the international regime in general, the book provides a practical overview of the export/import control regimes covering defence and dual-use goods and services in fourteen key jurisdictions. Country reports each follow the same structure for easy comparison. Issues and topics covered include the following and much more: • import/export legal and regulatory requirements for controlled goods and services; • sanctions for breach of such requirements (civil, administrative, or criminal); • licence application processes; • arms, dual-use and other products embargo (including chemical and biological materials and technology); and • enforcement measures. The Handbook also makes available, through an online application, all important standard export control–related forms, templates, and other related documents, all of which readers can use to draft their own documents. The Handbook is invaluable to any professional (such as lawyers, compliance key players, procurement, logistics, finance and customs practitioners) working in relation to an organisation with a need to know the specific requirements to be followed for the efficient - and legally compliant - import or export of controlled military or dual-use goods, technologies or services.

Like many countries, Canada regulates the export of weapons and technologies which could be used for military purposes. Such regulation is broadly referred to as the c̀ontrol of strategic exports'. Western countries have, individually and collectively, developed rules of conduct on trade in strategic products. Since the end of the Cold War and the conflict with Iraq, these control policies have become the subject of a general review. This document discusses the history of strategic export controls, principles governing the control of strategic exports, Canadian legislation and controls on strategic exports, principal restrictions on Canadian strategic exports at the present time, and the current debate on the control of strategic exports.