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The Small Arms Trade

A Beginner's Guide

Published by Oneworld Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Small Arms are responsible for over half a million deaths each year. Despite this terrifying statistic, millions of guns flow into the streets of the world each year. It is a multi-billion dollar industry, and one which is barely regulated.

From AK-47s to M16 rifles; from Terrorist-owned shoulder-fired missiles to child soldiers, this enlightening guide reveals the disturbing reality behind the murky underworld of international arms trading. Explaining how deals can often operate on the edge of legality, and listing the world’s main players, it goes on to ask how the exchange of small arms can be tightened in the future. Full of insight and anticipating the danger of ever lighter and more powerful weapons, this is required reading for anyone who wishes to understand the world today and one of the key threats to development, prosperity and international peace.

About The Authors

Matt Schroeder is the Manager of the Arms Sales Monitoring Project at the Federation of American Scientists.

Colonel Dan Smith is the Senior Fellow on Military Affairs at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. He retired from the US army in 1992, highly decorated.

Rachel Stohl is Senior Analyst at the Center for Defense Information at the World Security Institute in Washington, DC.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Oneworld Publications (December 1, 2012)
  • Length: 177 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781780741796

Raves and Reviews

"To gain a perspective on the lower end of weapons technology, The Small Arms Trade makes for elucidating reading."

– Defense Technology International

"As an introductory text, this book certainly makes an admirable effort, as it is engaging, accessible and almost exclusively empirical in its approach."

– Journal of Peace Research

"Schroeder, Smith and Stohl have produced what will surely become an indispensable reference for any reader interested in the nature and consequences of the trade in small arms and the policies needed to effectively deal with the lethal consequences of such trade."

– Mois

"The Beginner's Guide is a tremendous resource for all those who wish to learn about the pandemic of small arms violence."

– Martin Butcher - Senior Advisory for policy and programs, Physicians for social responsibility

"A Beginner's Guide is much too modest a title. This uniquely valuable book combines historical depth, contemporary insights, scholarly analysis and prudent advocacy to make it far more than a primer for the untutored."

– Joe Smaldone - Former Chief, Weapons and Technology Control Division, Arms Control and Disarmament A

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