Conflict

The World Health Organization estimates that around 191 million people lost their lives because of armed conflict in the 20th century.¹ But tragically war is not a thing of the past. The WHO also estimates that currently around 35 people are killed every hour as a direct result of armed conflict. Harrowing as these figures are, there are other, perhaps less obvious costs, including the enormous numbers of people forced to flee their homes because of conflict. While some people argue that war is inevitable and there is little that can be done to prevent it, there is growing evidence of the direct connection between the proliferation of weaponry through the arms trade and the likelihood of disputes breaking out into armed conflict. Once conflict has started, the arms trade helps sustain it.

Contrary to constant assurances from the government, the UK continues to sell arms and military equipment to countries engaged in conflict. Earlier this year, CAAT research² showed that the UK has exported arms and military equipment to 20 countries engaged in serious conflict since 1997: Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Fourteen of these countries were invited to DSEi in 2001 and two of the others were invited to DSEi in 1999.

UK export controls

The UK government's export criteria specifically refer to ongoing conflict. Criteria three and four state, respectively:

'The Government will not issue licences for exports which would provoke or prolong armed conflicts or aggravate existing tensions or conflicts in the country of final destination.'

'The Government will not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the intended recipient would use the proposed export aggressively against another country or to assert by force a territorial claim'.

These criteria appear to be irrelevant while a government agency, the Defence Export Services Organisation, is tasked with pro-actively pushing arms sales around the world, including to an official list of 20 'UK Priority Markets'. While the government will not disclose the current list, the list for 2001/02 has been released and included India and Turkey.³ In the past, it has been reported that India and Pakistan have been identified as 'highly valuable priority markets'.⁴ They have both been officially invited to DSEi 2003.

As one of the largest producers and exporters of arms and military equipment in the world, the UK has to take a large measure of responsibility for fanning the flames of conflict around the globe. DSEi is one of the UK government's mechanisms for selling arms, but it is also an opportunity for companies from all over the world to ensure that countries in conflict and regions of tension are not left wanting for arms.

1 World Health Organisation, 'World Report on Violence and Health', 2002
2 CAAT, 'Fanning the Flames', January 2003
3 Letter from Lord Bach, MoD, 17.3.03
4 Hansard, Memorandum submitted by The British Defence Manufacturers Export Licensing Group to the Select Committee on International Development, 7 February 2000