Momentum Is Building to Restrain Risky Arms Sales

A. Trevor ThrallMedia reports recentlyrevealed that President Biden will revise the nation ’s Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, with an eye to elevating concerns for the human rights implications of arms exports. Such a move is long overdue, as we have argued in theArms Sales Risk Index reports over the past several years. Over the past twenty years, the United States has sold billions of dollars ’ worth of weapons to governments with horrendous human rights records. Tragically, some of those weapons have been used to kill civilians and political opponents.Congress has also been focused on the arms sales and human rights nexus. In a recent piece up atDefense One, Jordan Cohen and I analyze the National Security Powers Act, sponsored by Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). This legislation would strengthen Congress ’ role in the arms sales process by requiring the White House to get Congressional approval for major arms sales. TheStop Arming Human Rights Abusers Act, introduced recently by Rep. Omar (D-MN), would provide another useful mechanism, automatically prohibiting sales to any government guilty of gross violations of international human rights or humanitarian law.These are positive steps, but one should remain skeptical about their likely impact. First, though Biden might be willing to sign them into law, it is far from certain that the two bills will make it that far given other Congressional priorities and likely Repu...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs