Slowing the Proliferation of Major Conventional Weapons: The Virtues of an Uncompetitive Market

Proliferation of major conventional weapons (MCW) in larger numbers, at greater levels of sophistication, and to more actors is at best a waste of valuable resources and at worst fuel for more and bloodier conflicts. Given a track record of violence, repression, and corruption, norms against exporti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethics & international affairs 2017, Vol.31 (4), p.401-418
Main Author: Caverley, Jonathan D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abusers
Arms control & disarmament
Arms trade
Cold War
Competition
Corruption
Defense industry
Defense spending
Disclosure
Essays
Exports
Foreign policy
Human rights
International relations
International trade
Market shares
Militarism
Military sales
Oppression
Political power
Politics
Power
Rewards
Sophistication
Suppliers
Technology
Trade agreements
Transparency
Treaties
Trends
Violence
Weapons
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Description
Summary:Proliferation of major conventional weapons (MCW) in larger numbers, at greater levels of sophistication, and to more actors is at best a waste of valuable resources and at worst fuel for more and bloodier conflicts. Given a track record of violence, repression, and corruption, norms against exporting weapons to active conflicts and human rights abusers, as well as norms in favor of transparency in weapons transfers, have grown more salient in recent years. Yet international efforts such as the UN Conventional Arms Trade Treaty show little promise for mitigating these ills. This article finds an alternate route toward moderating global arms transfers. It shows, with supporting data, how the United States, pursuing its own political interests, leverages its massive market power to slow the proliferation of dangerous technology, reduce resources spent in the developing world on weapons, stymie the deadweight losses of corruption in the arms industry, and lower the rewards for human rights abusers.
ISSN:0892-6794
1747-7093
DOI:10.1017/S0892679417000399