The Arms Trade Treaty A Commentary

The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty became binding international law in late 2014, and although the text of the treaty is a relatively concise framework for assessing whether to authorize or deny proposed conventional weapons transfers by States Parties, there exists controversy as to the meaning of certain key provisions. Furthermore, the treaty requires a national regulatory body to authorize proposed transfers of conventional weapons covered by the treaty, but does not detail how such a body should be established and how it should effectively function. The Arms Trade Treaty: A Commentary explains in detail each of the treaty provisions, the parameters for prohibitions or the denial of transfers, international cooperation and assistance, and implementation obligations and mechanisms. As states ratify and implement the Treaty over the next few years, the commentary provides invaluable guidance to government officials, commentators, and scholars on the meaning of its contentious provisions. This volume describes in detail which weapons are covered by the treaty and explains the different forms of transfer that the Arms Trade Treaty regulates. It covers international human rights, trade, disarmament, humanitarian law, criminal law, and state-to-state use of force, as well as the application of the treaty to non-state actors.

"The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty became binding international law in late 2014, and although the text of the treaty is a relatively concise framework for assessing whether to authorize or deny proposed conventional weapons transfers by States Parties, there exists controversy as to the meaning of certain key provisions. Furthermore, the treaty requires a national regulatory body to authorize proposed transfers of conventional weapons covered by the treaty, but does not detail how such a body should be established and how it should effectively function. The Arms Trade Treaty: A Commentary explains in detail each of the treaty provisions, the parameters for prohibitions or the denial of transfers, international cooperation and assistance, and implementation obligations and mechanisms. As states ratify and implement the Treaty over the next few years, the commentary provides invaluable guidance to government officials, commentators, and scholars on the meaning of its contentious provisions. This volume describes in detail which weapons are covered by the treaty and explains the different forms of transfer that the Arms Trade Treaty regulates. It covers international human rights, trade, disarmament, humanitarian law, criminal law, and state-to-state use of force, as well as the application of the treaty to non-state actors." -- Publisher's website.

This book provides a unique and comprehensive commentary on the Arms Trade Treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013, with several contributors having direct involvement in the negotation of the Treaty.

The Larcier Law Annotated series is a collection of texts, each concerning a specific topic. The purpose of the series is to provide readers with an in-depth overview of particular legal issues. This Law Annotated volume on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is a detailed assessment of the negotiation, content, and implementation of the Treaty. The ATT, which entered into force on 24 December 2014, is focused on the regulation of the international trade in conventional arms and the prevention of unlawful uses of such arms as well as the illicit trade and its diversion. The purpose of this publication is to provide a comprehensive commentary to guide officials, diplomats, academics and others in the implementation of the Treaty. This volume provides a systematic analysis of each article of the Treaty drawing on the negotiating history, providing analysis of the obligations and setting out implementation issues. The book describes the object and purpose of the Treaty, what are the conventional arms, ammunition/munitions and parts and components that are subject to its provisions, the prohibitions and other obligations of States Parties related to imports, exports, transit, trans-shipment, and brokering activities within their jurisdiction. Also addressed are the enforcement and other measures required by the Treaty, and the procedures for international cooperation and assistance.

The Shadow World presents the behind-the-scenes tale of the global arms trade, exposing in forensic detail the deadly collusion that too often exists among senior politicians, weapons manufacturers, felonious arms dealers, and the military--a situation that compromises our security and undermines our democracy. Now a major PBS documentary "An authoritative guide to the business of war. Chilling, heartbreaking, and enraging."--Arundhati Roy Andrew Feinstein reveals the cover-ups behind a range of weapons deals, from the largest in history--between the British and Saudi governments---to the guns-for-diamonds deals in Africa and the current $60 billion U.S. weapons contract with Saudi Arabia. Based on pathbreaking reporting and unprecedented access to top-secret information, The Shadow World takes us into a clandestine realm that is as vitally important as it is shocking.

While the high profile trial of Viktor Bout in New York will show some of the threats the world continues to face from unscrupulous private arms brokers, it only provides a glimpse into a much larger problem. Skilled at operating in the shadows and exploiting weak national arms transfer controls, arms brokers have funneled arms to almost every country under a UN arms embargoes in the last 15 years, often fueling armed conflict and serious human rights violations. The US has worked on at least 70 US prosecutions in the last five years that have charged defendants with crimes related to illegal arms brokering. Yet, it continues to face difficulties in bringing arms brokers to justice and shutting down criminal networks. The lack of effective legal systems addressing the arms trade in many countries enables illicit arms dealers to exploit regulatory gaps and carry out their activities with impunity. The US and the world need an effective global Arms Trade Treaty to help close these gaps and stop the irresponsible trade in deadly weapons.

This is a commentary on the legislation around the use of cluster munitions in warfare.--

"This Commentary offers detailed background and analysis of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted at the UN Headquarters in New York in July 2017. The Treaty comprehensively prohibits the use, development, export, and possession of nuclear weapons. The treaty is examined article by article, with discussed of how each provision was negotiated and what it implies for states that join the Treaty. As the Treaty provisions cut across various branches of international law, the Commentary goes beyond a discussion of disarmament to consider the law of armed conflict, human rights, and the law on inter-state use of force. The Commentary examines the relationship with other treaties addressing nuclear weapons, in particular the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Background on the development and possession of nuclear weapons and theories of nuclear deterrence is also provided."--Résumé de l'éditeur.

For this study, a group of Russian authors were commissioned to describe and assess the arms trade policies and practices of Russia under new domestic and international conditions. The contributors, drawn from the government, industry, and academic communities, offer a wide range of reports on the political, military, economic, and industrial implications of Russian arms transfers, as well as specific case studies of key bilateral arms transfer relationships.