The World’s first ever Arms Trade Treaty: Implications for Southeast Asia

After seven years of negotiations, the UN finally approved the first ever Arms Trade Treaty by an overwhelming majority. The treaty covers a range of conventional arms, from battle tanks to combat aircraft and small arms and light weapons (SALWs). What is worrying for Southeast Asia is that the region is a source, transit and destination for trafficked arms. On the one hand, ongoing low-intensity armed conflicts in countries such as the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar continue to fuel demand for sophisticated arms. On the other hand, large stocks of surplus weapons in countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam, a legacy of the Vietnam War, have resulted in the region becoming an important source of illicit weapons for non-state armed groups such as those operating in India.