Following a raft of ratifications this week, the Arms Trade Treaty is 4/5 of the way toward entry into force.
Depositing their instruments of ratification on Tuesday were Australia, Austria, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Samoa. They join 30 other countries that’ve become full members of the treaty since its adoption by the U.N. General Assembly on April 2, 2013. Ten more joinders are needed for the treaty to take effect.
In its 28 articles, the Arms Trade Treaty provides for states parties’ regulation of traffic in a range of arms, from battle tanks to light weapons. (Prior posts available here.) As indicated by the Control Arms poster above, regulating the latter is a principal aim of treaty proponents. (image credit)
Among the 5 permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (among them major arms-exporting states), Britain and France have ratified. The United States signed last September, but the treaty has not been presented to the Senate for consideration. China has not signed; Deutsche Welle reported this week:
‘China has indicated that it would consider signing if the US ratified, which is unlikely to happen.’
And in late May, the Voice of Russia reported that the Russian Federation would not sign, for the following reasons:
‘Russia considers this document to be not completely thought through. It also discriminates against the Russian military-industrial complex.’
Diane Marie Amann 