The No-Nonsense Guide to the Arms Trade (No-Nonsense Guides) (Paperback)

by Gideon Burrows (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"a splendid new series of pocketable guides" - The Guardian "closest to the hot headline issues are the No Nonsense Guides" - Boyd Tonkin, The Independent "The No Nosense Guides are the most accessible and enjoyable means for people with hurried lives to find out how the world really works." - George Monbiot "a mass of useful and fascinating information" - Times Literary Supplement "...should be in every secondary school library" - Diva

Product Description
The ending of the Cold War was supposed to increase global security and divert expenditure previously earmarked for arms purchases to more constructive ends. Instead, the arms trade has flourished. Not only conventional arms, but also police and surveillance equipment, have been provided by Western countries seeking to make a profit from conflict in unstable parts of the world. Foreign debt has remained high, development has been held back, and human rights have been systematically abused, all with the connivance of an arms trade prepared to turn a blind eye to the uses to which increasingly sophisticated weaponry is put, so long as hefty profits can be reaped.

This disturbing book names the players in the arms trade and charts the impact that it has had on war, human rights, and development. The financial and trade mechanisms that permit the arms trade to continue are revealed, amid sordid tales of bribery and corruption. Gideon Burrows concludes his examination by reviewing the ways in which this trade can be controlled or even abolished.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Verso (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185984426X
• ISBN-13: 978-1859844267
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #271,053 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No nonsense my buns, he began to lose me with the activist drivel, August 3, 2006

By	John Smith (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

I give it two stars because the guy writing this has his heart in the right place. To call it no nonsense to me would indicate it is a book that tells it raw and is not slanted. this book couldn't be more slanted to "activists" and liberals.

Yes, I know it is hard to deride such a critique on something as vile as arms trading, especially black deals, as opposed to gray or white, however this book is nothing more than one-sided activists view about something of which, there exists few agenda-free resources.

The author does a great job in presenting his case, but fails to mention how LEGAL arms trading can help countries. There are in fact many nations out there who, had they no weapons, they would be completely obliterated... while it is a dirty business in many ways, it is also a necessary evil. The author does little to go into the real threat of arms proliferation and that would be terrorists who acquire such arms to shoot down planes, hit buses, blow up cafes and all the other crazy nonsense stuff they do, all the while the world gives them a pass because they are supposedly opressed. My tush, all that is is bigotry which basically means they aren't held to the same standards as the modern world is, and this should be treated unfairly.

Again, I don't want to sound like I am FOR selling weapons to warlords and the like, far from it. But the path to hell is still paved with good intentions. A lot of the money Bono and such celebrities raise for Africa, albeit a noble cause, usually ends up in the hands of a corrupt govt. or warlords who can then go and purchase said weapons. Perhaps I should put out a book titled "The No Nonsense Guide to Enabling Warlords With Ill-marked Charity Money.

This book, on paper, reads well and is hard to counter, yet we musn't forget those countries who legitimately need arms to defend themselves.

Ps he also refers to Cynthia Mckinned as progressive politician fighting for curbing of arms, her name is actually Cynthia mcKinney and she is a raving lunatic who always votes against her country when it comes to defense. Progressives is a misnomer also; with all their environmental laws, hatred for thriving businesses and low taxes, that is anything but progressive... If one wants "progressive" look to tech companies and all the good that came out of the "military industrial complex", like oh.. I don't know, the Internet, modern air travel and the cell phone.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nonsense Review, August 25, 2003

By	Mark Twain - See all my reviews

This book is a wonderful gem for both enthusiastic activists as well as the general reader. As the title suggests, it provides a stunning look into the controversial world into the Arms Trade. What's particularly about the No Nonsense Guide to the Arms Trade is that it is both very readable and very concise. The author wastes no time at all at the beginning of the book and thrusts the reader into a plathora of information. Everything from Who Deals Arms and Government Involvement to an in-depth look at the consequences of the Small Arms Trade in Africa is covered in the Guide.

So for anyone who is actively involved in protesting against the Industry or interested in the real affects of the arms trade, this book is essential. Highly Recommended.