The Small Arms Survey is an independent research project hosted by the Graduate Institute. Its flagship publication, a review of global small arms issues and themes, has been published annually since 2001. This year’s report, sub-titled Shadows of War, focuses on two specific themes. The first looks at the challenges inherent to ensuring security after the formal end of war. The second deals with small arms transfers, including the value of authorised trade, national controls, and weapons tracing.

As part of the first theme, this year’s Small Arms Survey devotes four chapters to issues surrounding post-conflict violence and security. It starts with an introductory section outlining the key challenges in this area, which it then goes on to illustrate through three case studies. The example of DDR in Aceh is used to question the pertinence of the reintegration model to middle-income countries, while Afghanistan serves as a vivid illustration of the difficulty inherent in building security while simultaneously creating a new state; it also exemplifies why the “post-conflict” label may not always be appropriate after the formal cessation of hostilities. Finally, the third case study examines perceptions of security in Southern Lebanon following the 2006 Hizbollah-Israel war. This case study notes that in an environment where the root causes of political violence persist, the population is cautious about government gun control yet surprisingly supportive of state security institutions.

Turning to the question of small arms transfers, the second theme of the survey, the report notes that the value of the global trade in small arms continues to increase, driven in no small part by continuing demand in the United States, which is both an importer and an exporter of these weapons. Commenting on these findings, the Graduate Institute’s Keith Krause, Director of the Small Arms Survey Programme noted “Current data shows that the global trade in small arms and light weapons is robust and even expanding, and that handguns are driving it”. He added, “We don’t know whether these weapons are destined for civilians, police, or military forces. But it is striking that handguns have outpaced all other small arms and light weapons over the [2000 – 2006] period”. Using new sources of data—while expanding and refining existing sources— the authorised transfers chapter also lays the foundation for a more precise estimate of the scale of the global firearms trade in future editions. The 2009 Survey also highlights important gaps in control efforts and troubling differences in licensing practices among the world’s major exporting states.

Finally, the report underlines the potential value of tracing weapons and ammunition in conflict and post-conflict settings, though it notes that, despite modest resource implications, the international community has yet to embrace this measure.

Other topics dealt with in the 2009 edition include an analysis of developments in 2008 at the United Nations. The year that saw the emergence of new possibilities for the Programme of Action, finally also saw the inclusion of ammunition on the global arms control agenda. A review of state-sponsored disarmament, weapons collection, and destruction concludes that these activities are most effective when accompanied by a degree of formal legitimacy. The volume also reviews the impacts of small arms on children and young people.

The Small Arms Survey collaborates closely with the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) of the Graduate Institute. It has an international staff with expertise in security studies, political science, international public policy, law, economics, development studies, conflict resolution, and sociology. It works closely with a worldwide network of researchers. The Survey is an independent monitor of national and international governmental and non-governmental policy initiatives on small arms. It is a resource for governments, policy-makers, researchers, and activists and provides information and research on small arms issues. Finally, it acts as a forum and clearinghouse for the sharing of information as well as the dissemination of best practice measures and initiatives dealing with small arms issues. Previous editions of the Small Arms Survey have focused on different aspects of these weapons including Risk and Resilience, Guns and the City and Counting the Human Cost. The project also publishes occasional papers, special reports, issue briefs and working papers.

http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/sas/publications/yearb2009.html