Lessons from MENA: appraising EU transfers of military and security equipment to the Middle East and North Africa: a contribution to the review of the EU common position

This publication analyses EU arms exports to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in recent years both from an overarching perspective as well as detailing specific transfers. While the particular timing and nature of the Arab Spring itself could not be predicted, the potential for trouble at some point and the responding State repression could hardly be a surprise given the nature of these authoritarian regimes. While civil society over the years has questioned a number of arms sales to undemocratic regimes with a history of violating human rights, the Arab Spring appeared to be a necessary condition for EU governments to recognise that the implementation of their export control policies had failed on numerous occasions. This analysis probes the level of caution EU exporting authorities demonstrated. The aim is to identify patterns of poor decision-making on arms exports where they exist, to consider why such patterns exist and to suggest remedies. Demands for socio-economic improvements as well as civil liberties, as they emerged in numerous Arab countries over the past year, are not likely to die soon, nor are these demands constrained to the Arab world

Arms tracing: perspectives on control, traffic and use of illegal weapons in Colombia

The publication reports on an extensive research endeavour to screen small arms stockpiles that were seized from illicit non-state actors in Colombia in the course of the past 5 years. It determines the proportion of these arms that are of European Union origin and reconstructs these arms flows 'upstream', so as to assess whether and to what extent these arms have been subject to unauthorized re-exports by states that obtained the arms legally from European Union member states

Vrouwen, mannen en moorden in Latijns-Amerika

The article describes and analyses the recent increase in firearms killings in several Latin American countries. Several triggers for this violence are portrayed, including illicit drug traficking, and social changes that threaten the traditional gender patterns known as machismo. Violence is seen as the current inclination of young urban males to ascertain traditional male behaviour in the machismo gender relation

Safety first: towards responsible arms and ammunition management in DRC's Equateur and Nord-Oubangui Provinces

This Knowledge Note provides an insight into current realities, behaviour and practices in arms and ammunition storage sites in north-western DR Congo. Tailored recommendations for strengthening ammunition and weapons safety by improving physical security measures and renovating infrastructural facilities are a central focus of this report and the corresponding technical studies. In light of these technical findings, and on the basis of on-site observations as well as interviews with community members and armed forces personnel, this Knowledge Note emphasises the importance of factoring in the socio-economic and humanitarian context of the weapons and ammunition storage sites. Through a range of case studies, an analysis of relevant legislative frameworks and how communication is channeled through relevant physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) authorities as well as an examination of the difficulty of translating existing PSSM knowledge into action, the study highlights some of the behavioural practices - and challenges - that underlie the development of an effective PSSM culture. The objective of this Knowledge Note is to help order and prioritize some of these factors, identifying how the national government of the DRC can enhance its efforts to establish a more responsible culture of PSSM-related practices. By highlighting areas of work where targeted interventions would be most useful, the recommendations of this baseline study aim to help guide ongoing regional and national efforts to implement more responsible PSSMrelated practices in a limited resource environment

Rastreo de Armas: Perspectivas sobre control, tráfico y uso de armas ilegales en Colombia

The publication reports on an extensive research endeavour to screen small arms stockpiles that were seized from illicit non-state actors in Colombia in the course of the past 5 years. It determines the proportion of these arms that are of European Union origin and reconstructs these arms flows 'upstream', so as to assess whether and to what extent these arms have been subject to unauthorized re-exports by states that obtained the arms legally from European Union member states