Small Arms Proliferation And Control In Southern Africa

This handbook provides critical analyses of the theory and practices of small arms proliferation and its impact on conflicts and organized violence in Africa. It examines the terrains, institutions, factors and actors that drive armed conflict and arms proliferation, and further explores the nature, scope, and dynamics of conflicts across the continent, as well as the extent to which these conflicts are exacerbated by the proliferation of small arms. The volume features rich analyses by contributors who are acquainted with, and widely experienced in, the formal and informal structures of arms proliferation and control, and their repercussions on violence, instability and insecurity across Africa. The chapters dissect the challenges of small arms and light weapons in Africa with a view to understanding roots causes and drivers, and generating a fresh body of analyses that adds value to the existing conversation on conflict management and peacebuilding in Africa. With contributions from scholars, development practitioners, defence and security professionals and civil society activists, the handbook seeks to serve as a reference for students, researchers, and policy makers on small arms proliferation, control and regulation; defence and security practitioners; and those involved in countering violence and managing conflicts in Africa.

A common feature of conflict in the 1990s is death and suffering from small arms and light weapons. The global diffusion of assault rifles, machine guns, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades, which can be easily carried by an individual or transported by a light vehicle, has greatly intensified the violence of conflicts in countries around the world. This book represents the perspectives of the foremost specialists on light weapons, and it surveys the wide range of policy options open to the international community. These include export and import controls, law enforcement strategies to break up black markets, collection and destruction of weapons following the end of conflict, and efforts to illuminate how small arms and light weapons make their way to the killing grounds of the 1990s.

International initiatives on the control of weapons / Sarah Meek.-The international agenda : finding leverage points and making action possible / Virginia Gamba.-The United Nations / Sarah Meek.-The Organisation of American States / Sarah Meek.-The Organisation of African Unity / Richard Cornwell.-The Southern African Development Community and small arms proliferation / Hussein Solomon and Jakkie Cilliers.-Light weapons and early warning : initial steps / Sarah Meek.-Small arms proliferation in Southern Africa : towards regional action / Virginia Gamba.

ISS i Sydafrika har siden 1996 kørt et specielt projekt vedrørende styring og kontrol af håndvåben - forkortet AMP - i relation til Sydafrikas (det sydlige Afrikas) sikkerheds- og udviklingsbehov. Bogen, som er en referencepublikation, præsenterer en række af ISS nøglepublikationer i f.m. projektet.