Citation

Muggah R. Confl. Secur. Dev. 2010; 10(2): 217.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Kings College, Center for Defence Studies, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/14678801003665984

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Policy-makers and practitioners concerned with small arms control have traditionally focused narrowly on 'supply-side' forms of regulation and containment. Concerned that excessive arms availability might destabilise fragile and post-war countries, they typically advance a host of activities such as weapons embargoes, export and import controls, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes and weapons collection schemes. These initiatives often achieve fewer dividends than expected. This article argues for a broader conceptualisation of 'availability' that accounts for both supply and demand dimensions. Availability would thus extend from arms production and diverse forms of weapons circulation to the manifold factors shaping acquisition and the multiple ways arms are used and misused. A broad spectrum treatment directly acknowledges the many faces of armed violence and allows for more sophisticated diagnosis, treatment and cure. This article considers how a host of 'second generation' armed violence prevention and reduction activities might enhance efforts to promote security in the aftermath of Africa's wars.