US Joins Arms Trade Treaty but at a High Price

stop arms transferThe United Nations is at the moment undergoing a very important debate on the Arms Trade Treaty which more or less has a very direct impact on the lives of everyone, specially in countries like Pakistan where there is an abundance of unregulated arms and ammunition. The Arms Trade Treaty is to control the conventional trade requiring states to authorize any international arms transfer which may originate or pass through their territory. The treaty was initially brought into effect in 2006 wtih a landslide vote in 2006 where 153 states voted in favor of this treaty while the USA was then the only state to vote against the Resolution. The major proponents of this bill have been UK, Argentina, Finland, Costa Rica, Japan, Kenya and Finland. It must be noted that armed violence claims at least 2000 deaths per day, and NGOs have calculated the cost to Africa alone of armed violence is 19 billion dollars per day.

It seems ironic that on one hand the US claims itself to be the police force for the world waltzing into countries like Pakistan trying to sweet talk its way on Anti-Terrorism offering to lend a helping hand [sic] to de-weaponize Pakistan. ironically on the very opposite end the US of A remains remains the only country not willing to come under an Arms Trade Treaty, which would help control and monitor the trade, trafficking of ammunition across the globe

In a very recent development the United States of America has willingly accepted to support the start of the negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty but this agreement comes under a condition that future negotiations must include a veto clause enabling them to bail out of any commitment in the future definitely weakening any possible deal.

Oxfam International’s policy adviser Debbie Hillier rightly says “The world has waited a long time for the USA to come on board to support global arms trade negotiations. However, Governments must resist US demands to give any single state the power to veto the treaty as this could hold the process hostage during the course of negotiations. We call on all governments to reject such a veto clause.”

I personally believe its a step forward but may potentially come at a high price in the long run and I believe hot targets like Pakistan must raise hue and cry to bring the American government to stop the arms industry and control this trade. While a few days back Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Zamir Akram addressed the committee and generally was in support of a global consensus but now in light of this recent conditional position adopted by the United States of America we my strongly lobby the Americans since their greed to promote their own ammunition industry can indirectly be the result of the deteriorating terrorism situation in Pakistan. Seriously if they’re so interested in rooting the terrorists out of Pakistan maybe a long term solution could very well be a seizure of the arms industry for once


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7 responses to “US Joins Arms Trade Treaty but at a High Price”

  1. Ya-sir Avatar
    Ya-sir

    Uncle Sam destroyin our army, our institutions, our religion, our culture, we've been westernized in all our ways despite v've our own culture, religion and identity all is under attack by US/NATO.

    V pakis have made alot of progress as a nation since 47 now v r peak on our progress since Zardari came into power and GHQ cum under attack..shame on our pols and our intelligence agencies incl military as well.

  2. aflatoon Avatar
    aflatoon

    kabhee war crime tribunal nai taqat-war mulkon kai sarbarahon ko saza sunaee hai?

    jo iss qanoon sai taqat walon ko koee farq paregaa. Phansee kaa phandaa sirf kamzor logon kee gardan per hee fit aataa hai.

  3. farrah shah Avatar
    farrah shah

    oh ! they realise Africa is deying of hunger when half the population is wiped out.

    They remember there is genocide going on when 70% of the people are wiped out.

    ……..And Americans ……they go to wars thinking they are playing video games just put the hand on bomb dropping buttons and boom boom boom I am sure they do have the musical effects in their itunes.

    Crap……Wars……humans are numbers for these Capitalist societies……..devoid of humanity……

    Just look at past twenty years…..

    Bosnia

    Rawanda

    Palestine

    Sri lanka

    Iraq

    Pakistan

    Afghanistan

    If countries are not at war they create the war within the country……..

    Guns and bullets must be sold.

    USA who transports humanbeings like sheeps packed in a back of a lorry

    USA who transports weapons by Air like a VVIP ……secret mission…….the whole bloody air space is for USA .

    The only person who has got the right to safe life is the President of USA .Who is head of allians.

  4. farrah shah Avatar
    farrah shah

    Borrowed from BBC blog

    "Studies estimate that one billion people are malnourished globally.

    That figure, given in studies by a number of think tanks and aid agencies, represents roughly one in seven of the world's population.

    ActionAid's report, Hunger Free, says hunger is "a choice that we make, not a force of nature".

    "Hunger begins with inequality," it says, and then grows because of "perverse policies that treat food purely as a commodity, not a right".

    "It is because of these policies that most developing countries no longer grow enough to feed themselves, and that their farmers are amongst the hungriest and poorest people in the world," says ActionAid. "

  5. Ya-sir Avatar

    Capitalism and Communism both are crap farah thats y crap wars are goin' both was created by same cabal known as Plutocracy which runs every "cracy" thru "isms" both C's work tandem one peddle class 2nd race.

    What USA achieve tech and material progress but paupers spiritually and culturally it is called self-delusion or halluci-Nations instead of happy-Nations;…they fucked up with their wars (world domination) as they apparently did in WW1.2 and in Japan and in Vietnam they were/are struck in sordid morass where the hell will burn bums of em they r USA = U Superfluous @$$-wholes.

  6. Ya-sir Avatar

    Hey Obama, President of USA got know from above its meaning.

    Now keep in mind that who's real emerging/eternal sole super-power check it out
    http://karachi-kool.blogspot.com/2009/09/im-sole-

  7. awaam Avatar

    Pentagon ramps up direct military aid to Pakistan

    http://awaam.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/pentagon-ra