U.S. Arms Exports

Paper Summary:

This paper supports the thesis that the U.S. government's history of providing arms to governments with known human rights violations undermines its claims of support for human rights. Although the US has the most stringent policies regarding export control on the books, the commitment to these policies and the inadequate methods of enforcement are of great concern. The paper specifically discuses the cases of Bahrain, Indonesia and Turkey. The paper concludes that the number of cases where the US provided arms to countries that practice human rights violations demonstrates that, regardless of what the US says in its policies, it still places the money made from arms sales higher than the lives of the people. The paper includes tables and graphs.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Literature Review
Case Studies
Arms Supplies to Oppressive Regimes
The Case of Bahrain
Indonesia
Turkey
Disarmament
Government Policy Versus Actions

From the Paper:

"One of the most famous instances of US human rights violations occurred in the 1980s under the Reagan administration. During this time, the Nicaraguan Sandinistas were considered to be a communist regime. In this scandal, the US helped to sell arms illegally to Iran to finance the Contras guerillas. The Contras were a ruthless group who instituted serious human rights violations against in their war against the Nicaraguan government . Nicaragua took the United States to court in the International Court of Justice."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Bahrain." Available from http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/bahrain.htm. Accessed December 6, 2007.
• Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 2006. UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Hundred and eighty-third plenary meeting Resolution 217(A)(III) of the United Nations General Assembly, December 10, 1948. Available from http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78715.htm. Accessed December 6, 2007.
• Deen, T. US Ramps Up Arms Supplies to Repressive Regimes. May 26, 2005. Available from http://www.antiwar.com/ips/deen.php?articleid=6080. Accessed December 6, 2007.
• "Disarmament" UN Department of Disarmament Affairs. Conventional Arms Branch. Available from http://disarmament.un.org/cab/index.html. Accessed December 6, 2007.
• Hartung, W. And Weapons for All. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.

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