European Arms Embargo

Definition

Arms embargo is one form of international economic sanctions, imposed by one or more states in order to deter unwanted behavior(s) of another actor. Arms embargoes are set to deny access of certain actors to lethal weapons, or to decrease their military capacity by prohibiting export, import, financing, brokering, etc. of weapons (Crawford 1999). The targeted actor may be a state, an international organization, an insurgent movement, a rebel group, a violent non-state actor like a terrorist network. Typically, the embargo is flouted by turning to black markets and illegal arms traffickers that makes it difficult to disrupt. The targeted states usually claim their right to self-defense for lifting the arms embargoes. The embargo may occur at different levels, each with peculiar challenges. From preventing production or transfer of weapons of mass destruction, to illegal transfer of conventional arms and other military equipment; diverse forms of trade or supply mechanisms...