November 2011

In this issue:

• The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention—approaching a mid-life crisis? (essay)
• SIPRI news
• SIPRI events and activities
• SIPRI in the media
• SIPRI staff news
• Recent publications

The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention—approaching a mid-life crisis?

John Hart

Upcoming SIPRI events and activities

SIPRI in the media

Last month's SIPRI Update essay on UN Security Council reform by Ian Anthony was republished in Swedish by SVT Debatt.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Pieter D. Wezeman commented to Time and to the Dutch TV programme KRO Brandpunt on the risks posed by the smuggling of looted weapons from Libya.

Former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director and SIPRI Associated Senior Research Fellow Robert Kelley discussed the recent IAEA report on Iran in a report on AlJazeera's Inside Story and in an article in the Christian Science Monitor. He also gave a TV interview to the Real News Network, talking about the IAEA Iran report and, in the second part, about fears concerning a possible nuclear weapon programme in Myanmar. 

SIPRI Deputy Director Daniel Nord commented on the possible implications for Sweden of Iran's nuclear programme for Dagens Nyheter and Radio Free Europe.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Shannon Kile was also quoted on the IAEA Iran report by Svenska Dagbladet and in two Reuters articles, one of which was picked up by Arab News among others.

Beijing-based SIPRI Senior Researcher Mathieu Duchâtel commented on the effects of the euro crisis on China-EU relations for the New York Times.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Pieter D. Wezeman spoke to CNBC about the risks associated with a military intervention to halt Iran's nuclear programme. He was also interviewed by Your Middle East on military spending and arms purchases in the Middle East. The interview and an article citing Pieter D. Wezeman and Carina Solmirano's research on Middle East military spending and arms purchases are accessible here.

Pieter D. Wezeman also talked about prospects for Libyan arms purchases in a Bloomberg news article that was picked up by the Tripoli Post. He commented on French arms sales to the Gaddafi regime for Radio France International.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Hugh Griffiths commented on possible destinations for small arms and light weapons smuggled from Libya in a Deutsche Welle article. He also spoke to the African Global Post on the illicit arms trade.

SIPRI Researcher Edin Omanovic gave an interview to Radio Catalan on how rebel groups aquire arms and the arms trade in general.

SIPRI Researcher Kristofer Bergh's essay on Artic cooperation from the July/August 2011 SIPRI Update was reprinted in the World Wildlife Fund magazine The Circle.

Recent publications

		SIPRI New edition Towards a Regional Security Regime for the Middle East: Issues and Options Report of the SIPRI Middle East Expert Group with a new afterword by Peter Jones Of all the world’s major regions only the Middle East lacks an inclusive system for dialogue and cooperation over security issues. Originally published in 1998, the report of the SIPRI Expert Group remains a landmark study by a distinguished group of regional experts on how such a system could be created in the Middle East. Download the report here.
		SIPRI Policy Paper China's Energy and Security Relations with Russia: Hopes, Frustrations and Uncertainties Linda Jakobson, Paul Holtom, Dean Knox and Jingchao Peng The leaders of China and Russia like to speak in public of the strategic partnership between the two countries, based on mutual interests and trust. In reality, the two cornerstones of the relationship—arms sales and energy cooperation—are crumbling. China has not placed a significant order for Russian arms since 2005 and buys only a fraction of its energy imports from Russia. Download the Policy Paper here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Israeli arms transfers to sub-Saharan Africa Siemon T. Wezeman Israel accounted for less than 1 per cent of transfers of major weapons to sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2006–10. Deliveries consisted mainly of small numbers of artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles, armoured vehicles and patrol craft. However, in addition to major weapons, Israel also supplied small arms and light weapons, military electronics and training to several countries in the region. Israeli weapons, trainers and brokers have been observed in numerous African trouble spots and may play a bigger role than their numbers imply. Download the Background Paper here.
		SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security New Social Media and Conflict in Kyrgyzstan Neil Melvin and Tolkun Umaraliev During 2010 Kyrgyzstan experienced a conflict that took the country to the brink of civil war. This paper examines the complex and shifting role of new media such as blogs, social networking sites and multimedia platforms during the events of 2010, focusing on the period from the bloody overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April to the ethnic violence in the south of the country in June. The authors highlight specific social, economic, political and technical factors as shaping the influence of new media in situations of conflict. Read more here.
		SIPRI Yearbook 2011: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security The 42nd edition of the SIPRI Yearbook includes coverage of developments during 2010 in major armed conflicts, multilateral peace operations, military expenditure, arms production, international arms transfers, world nuclear forces and fissile material stocks, nuclear arms control and non-proliferation, reduction of security threats from chemical and biological materials, conventional arms control, controls on security-related international transfers and multilateral arms embargoes. Read more here. To order a copy, click here.
		SIPRI Policy Paper Implementing an Arms Trade Treaty: Lessons on Reporting and Monitoring from Existing Mechanisms Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley This Policy Paper provides the first comprehensive overview of existing UN instruments that require states to report on their arms transfers, transfer controls and enforcement measures. It outlines the types of information required to assess compliance with a future arms trade treaty (ATT), extracts lessons learned from the existing instruments and identifies areas of duplication. This report seeks to lay the foundation for a relevant and robust ATT reporting mechanism. This paper, along with the two Background Papers below, was launched at an event at the Third Session of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty. Download the Policy Paper here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Transit and trans-shipment controls in an arms trade treaty Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley A large proportion of arms transfers transit through third countries. Therefore transit controls provide opportunities to strengthen state control at a stage when arms shipments are particularly vulnerable to diversion to illicit markets. This Background Paper provides an overview of existing international and regional agreements and best practices for controls on transit and trans-shipment. It discusses national implementation and enforcement of transit controls, paying particular attention to licensing and authorization, record keeping and information sharing as areas where an arms trade treaty could contribute to enhancing transit controls and their enforcement. Download the Background Paper here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Import controls and an arms trade treaty Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley Import controls represent a vital tool for helping to prevent cases of illicit diversion. They can also enable importer countries to play their part in preventing arms from being used to fuel conflicts or facilitate human rights abuses. This Background Paper provides an overview of existing international and regional agreements and best practices for controls on arms imports. It discusses national implementation and enforcement of import controls, paying particular attention to licensing procedures, customs controls and the production and issuing of end-user certificates and other similar documentation. Download the Background Paper here.
		SIPRI Policy Paper Conflict Minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Aligning Trade and Security Interventions Ruben de Koning Mineral resources have played a crucial role in fuelling protracted armed conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This new SIPRI Policy Paper examines the the prospects for and interactions between various trade- and security-related initiatives that are aimed at demilitarizing the supply chains of key minerals. It also describes the changing context in which such initiatives operate. Finally, it offers policy recommendations for how the Congolese Government and international actors can coordinate and strengthen their responses in order to break resource–conflict links in eastern DRC. Download the Policy Paper here.
		SIPRI Monograph Governing the Bomb: Civilian Control and Democratic Accountability of Nuclear Weapons edited by Hans Born, Bates Gill and Heiner Hänggi ISBN 978-0-19-958990-6 With a special emphasis on civilian control and democratic accountability, Governing the Bomb seeks to illuminate the structures and processes of nuclear weapon governance of eight nuclear-armed states: the USA, Russia, the UK, France and China as well as Israel, India and Pakistan. It examines the theoretical as well as practical functions and structures of those who possess the power to make nuclear decisions and those who have the practical means and physical opportunity to execute those decisions. Read more and order the book here.
		Other publications Perlo-Freeman, Sam, Measuring transparency in military expenditure: the case of China, Policy Brief, UCSD Institute on Global Conflict and Co-operation, October 2011. Download the publication here.