'UN arms embargoes on conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are among the most frequently imposed injunctions to compel states and non-governmental actors to act in the interests of international peace and security. However, implementing and enforcing arms embargoes is a complicated business that involves multilevel coordination across government, industry, and society. Moreover, the international community's growing reliance on (ever more complex) sanctions makes it increasingly difficult for UN member states to meet their obligations...'

The Caribbean region suffers from some of the world’s highest rates of violent deaths, at almost three times the global average, as well as one of the world’s highest rates of violent deaths among women. Firearms are used in more than half of all homicides, with this proportion reaching 90 per cent in some countries. While much emphasis has been placed on firearms control at both the political and operational levels, illicit firearms, and the dynamics of illicit arms markets in this region have received little research attention.

'What options do military governments have when international arms embargoes disrupt small arms procurement? The nation of Myanmar has been governed by military decree in some fashion since the democratically elected Prime Minister U Nu was ousted by General Ne Win in 1962. This blog post outlines Myanmar’s response to European Union and United States arms embargoes, and how the country turned to other suppliers to help develop its own arms industry.

'About half an hour before their shift was due to end, on 18 November 2005, Police Constable Sharon Beshenivsky and her colleague Police Constable Teresa Millburn responded to reports of an activated panic alarm at a travel agency in Bradford, West Yorkshire. As the two walked into the store, PC Beshenivsky was shot and killed at point-blank range.

After Kalashnikov-pattern rifles, Fusil Automatique Léger (FAL) rifles were among the most frequently sighted firearms during the 2011 armed conflict in Libya.

The FAL rifle was originally designed and manufactured at the Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre Herstal (FN Herstal), in Belgium,  and was dubbed ‘the right arm of the free world’ during the cold war. Since its release in 1954 it has undergone several modifications and was adopted by a number of countries, some of which also manufactured it under licence.

As has frequently been observed, ammunition and weapons are inextricably linked; without the former the latter cannot function. The effective regulation and control of the production, transfer, storage and destruction of ammunition is therefore vital to broader efforts to prevent, reduce and combat uncontrolled or illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) holdings and flows.

The Small Arms Survey 2001: Profiling the Problem is an authoritative guide to all aspects of the problem of small arms and light weapons. It focuses on both small arms themselves (production, transfers, stockpiles), and on the processes and impacts of their world-wide proliferation.

Specific sections deal with issues such as arms brokering, the role of small arms and light weapons in particular conflict zones, current international initiatives and projects to stem their proliferation, and with broader social and economic effects (crime, public health, development).

The Small Arms Survey 2002: Counting the Human Cost includes new and updated information and analysis on global small arms production, stockpiles and legal and illicit transfers, and a review of international, regional and national measures to address the issue of small arms proliferation. The Small Arms Survey is now recognised as the principal international source of impartial and reliable information on all aspects of small arms. Its blend of information and analysis makes it an indispensable resource for policy-makers, officials and non-governmental organisations.

The Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied presents the most complete assessment of the spread of small arms around the world and their effect on society. Stressing the link between small arms and global development, it includes special chapters examining the role of small arms in Africa (Congo), the Arab world (Yemen) and the former-Soviet Union (Georgia).

The Small Arms Survey 2004: Rights at Risk provides original research and updated information on small arms production, stockpiles, and trade. In focusing on the links between small arms and the abuse of human rights, this edition explores the impact of arms exports to areas of conflict, the role of weapons in global violence and crime, and the implementation of human rights standards by police forces worldwide. The Survey also features in-depth coverage of issues such as the growing concern over MANPADS and the role of small arms in the Pacific and Kyrgyzstan.