Small Arms and Light Weapons Disarmament Programs: Challenges, Utility, and Lessons Learned
Abstract
Small arms and Light Weapons (SA/LW) proliferation has contributed to the sustainment of violent domestic conflicts in the post-Cold War era. Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs have become an essential step in the internal conflict resolution process in affected nations. Although these programs are well-intentioned, and though they attempt to address the deep-rooted problem of SA/LW availability, they are not met without challenges. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Mozambique, and Afghanistan each tried different approaches to this process, though they faced similar challenges. Future practitioners of disarmament can learn from their experiences and apply the lessons learned to an improved implementation of future programs in other post-conflict societies. This paper attempts to lay out the benefits and challenges of SA/LW disarmament programs by examining the four case studies just mentioned using open-source materials. The author notes the challenges, lessons learned, and experiences of these programs to develop a common set of issues that disarmament program developers and executors should be aware of as they try to develop and execute similar programs. This is not meant to be a guide for conducting disarmament programs; rather, it is intended to provide a contemporary context to issues that practitioners in disarmament have faced and will continue to face in the future. Specifically, the report identifies ways in which government, nongovernment, and international practitioners in this area dealt with disarmament issues, and to what degree they were successful.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 12, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA457802
Entities
People
- Jennifer Perry
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency