Dr Paul Holtom

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Born: 1975
Citizenship: United Kingdom
Position at SIPRI: Director, SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme
Subject expertise: International arms transfers; international arms embargoes; transparency in international arms transfers; international SALW transfers; Arms Trade Treaty 
Regional expertise: Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia
Languages: English, Russian
Education: BA in Politics and Philosophy, University of Liverpool
MA and PhD in Russian and East European Studies, University of Birmingham
Contact: Email; Phone: +46 8 655 97 72

Paul Holtom is a Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme and has been the Director of the programme since 2009. His main areas of research relate to monitoring international conventional arms transfers, with a particular focus on Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, promoting greater transparency of international arms transfers and strengthening conventional arms transfer controls to prevent illicit trafficking. He has recently carried out research projects on the effectiveness of UN arms embargoes, reporting to the UN Register of Conventional Arms on international transfers of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and discussions towards an Arms Trade Treaty. He has authored or co-authored numerous publications on the arms trade and peace and security, with a particular focus on Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and UN instruments.

Current activities
  • SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme
  • Arms Trade Treaty
  • China SALW Exports
  • Control and oversight of SSR and SALW transfers
  • Consultant to the group of governmental experts on the UN Register of Conventional Arms
Former positions
  • Research Fellow at the Centre for Border Studies at the University of Glamorgan (UK)
  • Research Fellow at the Alfried Krupp Wissenschaftskolleg in Greifswald (Germany)
  • Consultant for the Council of Europe and Saferworld
Professional affiliations
  • Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Russian and East European Studies, University of Birmingham
  • Member of the Small Arms Survey International Program Council
Recent Publications
  • Holtom, P. and Micic, I., 'European Union arms export control outreach activities in Eastern and South Eastern Europe' (Stockholm: Non-Proliferation Papers No. 14, April 2012)
  • Holtom, P., Bromley, M. and Béraud-Sudreau, L., 'Internal Compliance Programmes', (Belgrade: SEESAC, October 2011).
  • Holtom, P.,  Jakobson, L., Knox, D. and Peng, J., 'China's energy and security relations with Russia: Hopes, frustrations and uncertainties', (Stockholm: SIPRI Policy Paper no. 29, October 2011).
  • Holtom, P. and Bromley, M., 'Implementing an Arms Trade Treaty: Lessons on reporting and monitoring from existing mechanisms', (Stockholm: SIPRI Policy Paper No. 28, July 2011)
  • Holtom, P. and Bromley, M., 'Import controls and an Arms Trade Treaty', (Stockholm: SIPRI Background Paper, July 2011).
  • Holtom, P. and Bromley, M., 'Transit and trans-shipment controls in an Arms Trade Treaty', (Stockholm: SIPRI Background Paper, July 2011).
  • Holtom, P. and Béraud-Sudreau, L., ‘Неиссякаемый поток: международные трансферты подержанных вооружений и военной техники’, Eksport yooruzheniy, no. 2
March-April 2011.
  • Holtom, P., 'Ukrainian arms supplies to sub-Saharan Africa', (Stockholm: SIPRI Background Paper, February 2011).
  • Holtom, P. and Bromley, M., 'Arms transfers to the Democratic Republic of Congo: Assessing the system of transfer notifications, 2008-2010', (Stockholm: SIPRI Background Paper, October 2010).
  • Holtom, P. and Bromley, M., 'The limitations of European Union reports on arms exports: The case of Central Asia', (Stockholm: SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security no. 2010/5, September 2010).
  • Holtom, P. and Bromley, M., 'The International Arms Trade: Difficult to Define, Measure, and Control', Arms Control Today, July/August 2010.
  • Holtom, P., ‘Nothing to report: The lost promise of the UN Register of Conventional Arms’, Contemporary Security Policy, vol. 31, no. 1, April 2010, pp. 61-87.
  • Holtom, P., ‘Arms transfers to Europe and Central Asia’, Stockholm: SIPRI Background Paper, February 2010.
  • Holtom, P., 'Constructing Kaliningrad’s Identity: A Litmus Test for Russia-EU Relations?' (Lambert Academic Publishing: 2010)
  • Holtom, P., 'Implementation of the EU Common Position on the Control of Arms Brokering' (Belgrade: SEESAC, 2009)
  • Holtom, P., ‘Reporting transfers of small arms and light weapons to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, 2007’, SIPRI Background Paper, Feb. 2009.
  • Holtom, P., ‘Ukrainian exports of small arms and light weapons, 2004-2007’, SIPRI Background Paper, Oct. 2008.
  • Holtom, P., 'Transparency in Transfers of Small Arms and Light Weapons: Reports to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, 2003–2006', SIPRI Policy Paper no. 22, (SIPRI: July 2008).
  • Berger, S. and Holtom, P., ‘Locating Kaliningrad and Königsberg in Russian and German collective identity discourses and political symbolism in the 750th anniversary celebrations of 2005’, Journal of Baltic Studies, vol. 39, no. 1 (Mar. 2008).
  • Holtom, P., 'Small Arms Production in Russia' (Saferworld, 2007).
  • Fruchart, D., Holtom, P., Wezeman, S., Strandow, D. and Wallensteen, P., 'United Nations Arms Embargoes: Their Impact on Arms Flows and Target Behaviour' (SIPRI and SPITS, 2007).
  • Bromley, M. and Holtom, P., ‘From scandals to scrutiny? The role of public transparency in improving Ukraine’s image as a responsible arms exporter’, Security and Nonproliferation, no 21 (2007), pp. 28–32.
  • Holtom, P., ‘An assessment of the Baltic states’ contribution to EU efforts to prevent proliferation and combat illicit arms trafficking’, eds D. Brown and A. Shepherd, The Security Dimensions of EU Enlargement: Challenges for the 21st Century (Manchester University Press, 2007).
  • Holtom, P. and Wezeman, S. T., ‘Towards an arms trade treaty’, SIPRI Yearbook 2007: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security (Oxford University Press, 2007).