The Politics of Arms Export Controls

Join us for a lunch discussion with Jennifer Erickson, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Boston College.

The conventional arms trade has long featured tensions between states' security and economic interests, which simultaneously push states to seek out new markets and to restrict sales to some recipients. Yet both economic and security interests have traditionally led states to maintain national control over arms export control policies and resist multilateral regulations. Changes in world politics in the years since the end of the Cold War, however, have introduced greater incentives not only for arms export promotion but also for the use of multilateral arms export restrictions - including sanctions and more general regulations. This talk will explore the political factors promoting contemporary multilateral arms export control policies, including arms embargoes and the UN Arms Trade Treaty, and the economic interests that shape their implementation.

Sponsored by the Pardee School Project on the Political Economy of Security Speaker Series and the Center for the Study of Europe. Lunch provided. RSVP to eventsps@bu.edu by April 22.