How the UN Arms Trade Treaty could prevent future Syrias

[pampango]

The treaty before the UN makes states accountable for selling weapons later used in war crimes. It could save countless lives.

At the UN this week, states are deliberating over a proposed Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which would regulate the $70bn worldwide trade of conventional weapons, from small arms like the ubiquitous AK-47 rifle, up to tanks and combat aircraft. The treaty would create common standards and rules for arms transfers, including annual reporting from states and systems to monitor exports, with the expressed aim of protecting international peace and security and reducing human suffering internationally.

The proposed final draft treaty text (pdf), released Wednesday 27 March, on which states will soon vote, would prohibit states from selling weapons when they "have knowledge at the time of authorization that the arms or items would be used in the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, attacks directed against civilian objects or civilians protected as such, or other war crimes". As is typical for such negotiations, many states have sought to water down the treaty over the course of its drafting for reasons of realpolitik and, perhaps, through the influence of pro-gun lobbies such as the NRA in the US.

If passed, the Arms Trade Treaty could not only help prevent conflict escalating by stemming the flow of weapons and ammunition to opposing forces, but it could also prevent the conditions that create conflicts in the first place. By forcing states to assess whether the weapons they sell may be used to abuse human rights either inside or outside conflict zones, and forcing states not to authorise transfers when they will, the ATT could weaken those regimes that rule by terror and force.

In the case of Syria, by making other states consider the humanitarian consequences of selling weapons, the ATT would have the potential to douse the flames of conflict and make it harder for belligerents to continue harming civilians. Had an effective treaty been in place before 2011, the regime's appalling human rights record and widespread use of torture might even have resulted in a reduced capacity to crack down violently on its own citizens and engage in protracted civil war.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/27/arms-trade-treaty-prevent-future-syrias