Stopping the arms trade

With our economy a mess and the world economy messy as well, it is easy to forget about other problems. One of those "other problems" is the proliferation of arms. It is especially easy to forget, given that our export economy includes a significant sale of armaments.

There is a campaign to stop this trade called "The World Is Watching." The goal? To get the 153 governments who voted at the United Nations to develop an arms treaty. This vote took place in 2006, but so far there is no treaty.

This proposed treaty is not about nuclear arms. It is about the use of conventional war arms. There has been a history of various agreements made in conflict areas, and the agreements are something that any civilized society can agree with. For example: Transfers of arms, ammunition, explosives and other related material shall not be carried to or from states which … commit or sponsor crimes against humanity or human rights violations (Code of Conduct-Central American States), or member states will not issue an export license if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression (European Union Code of Conduct).

According to an Amnesty International report, the United States was the biggest source of illicit small arms seized in Colombia. The U.S. was the primary source by thousands followed by Germany, Venezuela and Russia, in that order. Russia wins the arms sweepstakes in some other countries such as Cote d'Ivoire.

China is not exempt from the arms export business either. It has "made available" huge amounts of arms sales to the Sudan. It has a very vested interest. China has become cozy with the Sudanese government because of its oil. It has looked the other way while the Sudanese government has committed unspeakable acts in Darfur. China has continued to supply arms to Sudan while the government pushes into Southern Sudan in partnership with the Chinese to drill for oil. The grand total in small arms in 2006 was $17.2 million. Within one year from 2006 to 2007 there were 409 military and police flights to Darfur from the larger government. The Chinese government has made available eight K-8 jet fighters for use in Darfur. According to Amnesty International, these jets were equipped with cannons, rockets and bombs. The Russians contributed planes as well to the Sudan government.

So, the question is how do you prevent such insanity? The only option is for a worldwide treaty with pressure from each country's citizens. Recommendations have included outlining provisions for state-to-state transfer of weapons, commercial sales rules and loans and gifts from governments to other governments.

One of the ways that an arms treaty that would end arms to the bad guys of the world is to make sure that countries passed their own laws that mandated certain restrictions and transparency rules as to how small arms would be sold and tracked if they were produced in that country. That would take massive country-by-country pressure from citizens.

Legal small-arms exports from the United States have been tracked at about one half billion dollars per year. It would be easy in this economy to increase this as a way to help our balance of trade. We need to pressure the next president to decrease small arms exports and push through national legislation to make sure they don't go to the bad guys. In the long run, it costs all of us as we fight rogue regimes and human-rights violators.

Crimes against humanity not prosecuted in the U.S.

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and Law discussed violence in Sudan and the United States’ inability to prosecute those who have committed crimes against humanity when the are in the United States. Dianne Orentlicher, a lawyer from the Open Society Justice Initiative urged the committee to promote legislation that would show strong opposition to crimes against humanity.

Orentlicher said the United States should prosecute those responsible for committing human rights violations, in particular those who currently reside in the United States. According to Orentlicher, those guilty of crimes against humanity can be prosecuted in American courts for torture or visa fraud but crimes against humanity are not currently violations of federal law. She said many Americans are unaware that these crimes are not currently punishable under U.S. law. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) noted that Salvadoran military leaders responsible for killings in El Salvador, including the deaths of four American women, currently live in Miami.

Daoud Hari, a Darfuri refugee who currently lives in Maryland, described his experience as a villager and translator to the committee. In his testimony, Hari asked Congress to pressure the Department of State to allow more Darfuri refugees to gain asylum in the United States. Currently, the United States has granted four other Darfuri refugees residence. Hari also asked the United States to fund the UN World Food Programme’s efforts in the region.

Olympic gold medalist and co-founder of Team Darfur Joey Cheek discussed his organizations call for an Olympic Truce, an effort that would promote peace during the Olympic Games through international reconciliation and dialogue. Cheek said that youth are offended by the actions of the Sudanese government and disturbed that mass killings continue to occur knowingly.

Emotional Upheaval: Making the Sudan video

I developed great sadness while making the video about the Christian Solidarity International/Talkers Magazine Trip to Southern Sudan video, and have written an extended post about it on my personal website.

Click here to visit my personal website and read my thoughts on this video.

Sudan is like “Mount Vesuvius,” ready to blow

The American Islamic Congress held a discussion of “Violence in Sudan: Muslim and Arab Responses.” Deng Deng Nhial of the Mission of the Government of Southern Sudan to the U.S. said that the Sudanese government is using a strategy of Islamization to manipulate the Sudanese people. He warned that the country is like Mount Vesuvius and will disintegrate like the former Soviet Union if nothing is done.

Nhial said that out of 49 years of independence, 39 have been years of war and that a unilateral effort of the U.S. will be ineffective in changing the behavior of the Sudanese government. He doubts any support of Europe will help. Instead, he said that Muslim Americans must work to get Arab countries to join the effort to end the Sudanese government’s violence. Suliman Giddo, the President of Darfur Peace and Development, said that the silence of the Muslim community must end in order for peaceful coexistence in Sudan to occur.

Darfur not the issue

Andrew S. Natsios, former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, spoke of the looming civil war in Sudan along with the impending failure of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the nation’s second civil war. After the loss of the two major players involved with this peace agreement, Natsios stressed the serious weakening of all that the agreement signified.

Natsios said that the American population must focus on Sudan as a whole rather then simply focusing on the province of Darfur. He said that the problems in Darfur cannot be solved until the nation is politically and militarily united as a whole.

Natsios further talked of the divided nation not in terms of north versus south, but rather of the Nile River Arabs versus the rest of the country. According to the “Black Book”, which contains a study of the elites who have run the country of Sudan, 70 percent of those in power have been Nile River Arabs even though they make up only 4.5 percent of the overall population of Sudan. Natsios explained that the Nile River Arabs are afraid of losing the massive of amount of control they posses, fearing that their four tribes will be massacred along with the collapse of the Sunni state.

Natsios said the United States is not going to be able to fix Sudan, saying it does not have the influence, leverage, or power that is needed. Natsios also said that the situation in Sudan is much more complex than those of Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Natsios, in order to reach peace in Sudan, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement must be put back on track, the nation must reach a political agreement on the distribution of their oil, and the country must find a way to equally split and share power across the different tribes.