Selected Publications • Bulzomi, A., P. Danssaert, S

Selected Publications
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Bulzomi, A., P. Danssaert, S. Finardi, K. Matthysen, Supply Chains and Transport Corridors in East Africa,
TransArms Research & IPIS vzw, Antwerp and Chicago, 2014
Transport infrastructure plays a key role in boosting a country or region’s
economic development. IPIS and TransArms have ascertained on several
occasions that the underdevelopment or degeneration of transport
infrastructure is a problematic issue across a number of African countries and
regions.
This report analyses the current logistics situation in Eastern Africa, and the
logistic challenges faced by various actors in that region. It is based on
desktop research, and interviews and data collected by the authors during
several field missions to East and Central Africa.
At the time of writing, however, logistic and other challenges to cost-efficient
trade and overall economic development are yet to be addressed. Further
research and policy actions to effectively tackle current shortcomings are
much needed. A strategy relying on a piecemeal approach (e.g. on ad hoc
investments in infrastructure) is likely to result in a ‘quick fix’ to ship raw
materials out of the African continent rather than in an effort to boost
sustainable economic development.
Source: http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=445
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Finardi, S., P. Danssaert, B. Johnson-Thomas, Ambushed in Bangkok? The U.N. Panel on North Korea and the
case of the IL-76 "4L-AWA", TransArms Research & IPIS vzw, Antwerp and Chicago, 2013
This new IPIS/TA report explains why the conclusion of the latest United
Nations report on North Korea sanctions about an arms flight grounded in
Thailand is not supported by facts, but based on a misalliance of wrong and
misleading information gleaned both about the cargo aircraft. its flight and
the entities involved, together with erroneous interpretations of standard
aviation practices made by the UN Panel of experts on North Korea.
The authors of this report have analyzed the information presented by the
Panel as evidence to support its claim against three individuals accused of
being complicit in the organization of an illegal arms flight from North Korea.
Regrettably, the conclusion is that those accusations are not supported by
facts. Unfortunately this is not the first time a UN Expert Panel report is
failing in use of sound methodological practices, and with (possible) serious
consequences.
Source: http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=429
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Finardi, S., P. Danssaert, K. Matthysen, B. Wood, The Arms Trade Treaty: Building a Path to Disarmament, in
Solutions, Vol. 4, Issue 3, March 2013
The goal of this article is to examine and suggest
proposals that could enhance the role of the
international Arms Trade Treaty—presently in
discussion at the United Nations—in the regulation of
the international arms trade and in addressing the
role of the legal trade in: a) providing the bulk of the
arms used in armed conflicts, armed violence and
human rights abuses; b) the excessive arming of
developing countries; and c) the continuous
unsettling of power balances in sensitive world
regions, not least because of competition amongst
arms-exporting countries.
Source:
http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?i
d=404
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Danssaert, P. S. Finardi, Pinocchio Ltd: the NRA and its corporate partners: US shipments of small arms
ammunition by sea, TransArms Research & IPIS vzw, Antwerp and Chicago, 2013
The National Rifle Association (NRA) claims to have monitored in the last 20
years all United Nations activities that could impact Second Amendment
rights. Its latest target is the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), an international treaty
to establish common international standards for the import, export, and
transfer of conventional arms presently under discussion at the United
Nations.
The international community has been calling for the inclusion of ammunition
and civilian arms within the scope of the ATT. This reasonable call is used by
the NRA to claim that the ATT could restrict the lawful ownership of firearms
in the United States.
Source: http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=405
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Finardi, S., P. Danssaert, B. Wood, A Code of Conduct for Arms Transport by Air, TransArms Research & IPIS
vzw, Antwerp and Chicago, 2012
This report is a discussion of some key considerations for the development of
an Air Cargo Industry Voluntary Code of Conduct relating to the transport of
arms, ammunition and other military equipment (ACI Code).
The purpose of such a Code is to encourage as many aviation companies and
other actors as possible in the air cargo industry to adhere to existing and
new standards relating to the transport of arms, ammunition and other
military equipment.
Source: http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=388
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Finardi, S., P. Danssaert, Rough Seas- Maritime Transport and Arms Shipment, TransArms Research & IPIS
vzw, Antwerp and Chicago, 2012
As stated by the authors in their report “Transparency and Accountability”
(February 2012), the Chairman’s Draft Paper (14 July 2011) presented by the
Arms Trade Treaty's Preparatory Committee (ATT PrepCom) included within
the ATT scope certain activities that should fall under the category of
“services”, such as transport and brokering. However, no provision has been
envisaged for the monitoring and ATT-related regulations of arms transport
services.
Monitoring transport services may instead be the key provision for the
implementation and enforcement of the Arms Trade Treaty. TransArms and
IPIS vzw have advocated since 1999 the monitoring of arms transport
networks as one of the most effective activities for the control of arms
transfers, in particular toward war zones and countries at risk of serious
violations of human rights.
Transportation services for the international transfers of conventional arms
are performed by logistics companies, shipping agents, freight forwarders,
and carriers who organize and carry out the transportation from or across the
territory of one State to another.
This report demonstrates how arms shipments may be monitored and reported when there is a substantial risk that
the shipments could contribute to fuelling armed conflicts, dissent repression, and other human rights violations.
The report provides examples of monitoring actual conventional arms shipments to Egypt and Syria in 2011 and
2012 and of suspected conventional arms shipments to Syria in 2012 by sea.
The report also shows that where there is an open society, or at least a fair degree of access to government
activities, such as in the United States, arms transfers – which most often receive financial and business support
from programs enacted with tax-payers money - can be monitored and discussed without jeopardizing legitimate
security policies; however all too often “national security” is invoked as a mean to cover up military support to
human rights abusers all over the world.
Source: http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=387
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Finardi, S., P. Danssaert, Transparency and Accountability: Monitoring and Reporting Methods under an Arms
Trade Treaty, TransArms Research & IPIS vzw, Antwerp and Chicago, 2012
Without an understanding of the existing practices of States regarding their
commonly agreed standards for the monitoring and reporting of their
international transfers of conventional arms, it will be very difficult to draft
many of the basic provisions of the Treaty to ensure compliance and
enforcement.
This report therefore seeks to clarify and discuss existing terminology and
reporting practices for State regulation of international transfers of goods and
services and for international transfers of conventional arms. It is hoped that
this will also help contribute to the development of common international
standards for monitoring and reporting international transfers of conventional
arms. Standardization of statistical requirements and reporting methods is of
paramount importance for the ATT to be effective.
Source: http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=348
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Danssaert, P. S. Finardi, Arms Flyers: Commercial Aviation, Human Rights, and the Business of War and Arms,
TransArms Research & IPIS vzw, Antwerp and Chicago, 2011
In the last decades, the "business of war" has attracted thousands of civilian
transport and logistics companies, especially in the aviation sector.
State and non-State actors engaged in armed conflicts or in military
operations that require substantial logistic support have increasingly resorted
to the services of civilian transport operators to fulfill their transport and
logistics needs.
For air transport companies the "business of war" has historically included
logistic support for the deployment and mobility of troops and military
equipment; the establishment of supply chains of arms and ammunition; and
the transport of people and goods in and out conflict zones.
Source: http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=368
Documents and Maps:
http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=369
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Danssaert, P., S. Finardi, B. Johnson-Thomas, Mapping the labyrinth: more on the strange weapons flight of 4LAWA, TransArms Research & IPIS vzw, Antwerp and Chicago, 2010
This research report is the third in a
series about the case of a IL-76 aircraft
used for an apparently clandestine
arms
flight
in
provenance
from
Pyongyang - in contravention of the
United Nations arms embargo on North
Korea - which was impounded by Thai
authorities during a technical stop in
Bangkok December 12, 2009.
Two previous research reports on this
unusual case were published by IPIS
and
TransArms:”From
deceit
to
discovery: The strange flight of 4LAWA”, December 21 2009; and “From
deceit to discovery: The strange flight
of 4L-AWA (update),” February 8,
2010,1 written by the same authors of
this third report.
The third updated report presents new
information and documents that show
other important actors in the chain of
companies who managed the flight.
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Matthysen, K., P. Danssaert, S. Finardi, B. Johnson-Thomas The Karamoja Cluster of Eastern Africa, TransArms
Research & IPIS vzw, Antwerp, 2010
Nomadic peoples are often, if not universally, perceived as a problem by the
governments of the nation states who have responsibility for them; this is
particularly so in the case of the three nations with which this report is
concerned: Kenya, Uganda and (southern) Sudan.
The pastoralist societies within the Karamajong cluster have been unable to
adequately defend themselves politically against claims that they, the
pastoralists, are responsible for the proliferation of small arms and light
weapons in East Africa.
This report endeavors in a small way to redress this balance; it is our
contention that the majority of the blame for this SALW proliferation should
be laid at the doors of the three governments concerned, governments who
themselves have failed to adequately address the problems of regional
insecurity, weapons diversion and, in many cases, have been quite unable to
resist the temptation to support individuals and groups intent on destabilizing
their neighbors.
Source: http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=317
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Danssaert, P., S. Finardi, B. Johnson-Thomas, From deceit to discovery: The strange flight of 4L-AWA (text and
documents), TransArms Research & IPIS vzw, Antwerp and Chicago, December 2009
•
On Saturday 12 December 2009 Thai
authorities seized an aircraft at
Bangkok’s Don Mueang
airport. The Ilyushin-76 had stopped on
the 11th December for refuelling while
en-route from
Pyongyang to Tehran, and was carrying
35 tonnes of arms and ammunition.
While the media rushed
to make unproven claims about the
plane and alleged former owners of the
aircraft, little attention
was paid to the web of companies, the
flight plan, and final destination.
Text and Documents at:
http://www.ipisresearch.be/publication
s_detail.php?id=284
http://www.ipisresearch.be/publication
s_detail.php?id=285
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Amnesty International & TransArms, Dead on Time: arms transportation, brokering, and the threat to human
rights, London, 2006. Sergio Finardi and Carlo Tombola wrote chapters II, III, IV, VI, VII, Definitions, Maps,
Tables, and - with Brian Wood - chapter I, V, Conclusions and Recommendations.
Growing state-sponsored out-sourcing and the increasing private mediation of
international arms distribution and procurement is adding to the risk of arms
being delivered, diverted and used for grave human rights violations.
Yet current government efforts to improve the monitoring and regulation of
such intermediate activities in the arms trade are weak and faltering.
Source: http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_detail.php?id=420
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Amnesty International & TransArms, Below the radar: secret flights to torture and disappearance, Amnesty
International, London, 2006. TransArms researched air companies, flights, and aircraft.
In this report Amnesty International brings together
critical evidence about the US-led rendition
programme. Its recommendations include: the USA
should end its practice of renditions; all governments
should ensure that rendition victims are protected
from torture, and that "war on terror" detainees are
charged and given a fair trial, or released; all
governments should prohibit the transfer of people
to places where they are at risk of ill-treatment; all
governments should ensure that their airports and
airspace are not being used in renditions; and, all
private aircraft operators should refrain from leasing
planes where they might be used in renditions
Source:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/051/
2006/en
•
D.R. Congo, Arming the East, TransArms contributed to Amnesty International, 2005
Amnesty International is concerned that,
during the peace process in the DRC,
military aid has been provided from agents
close to the Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC
governments to armed groups and militia in
eastern DRC who have committed grave
human rights abuses.
This document presents only a partial
picture of the trade in arms because this
trade is characterized by extreme stealth.
Peace in the Great Lakes Region of Africa
cannot be maintained without addressing
impunity for these human rights abuses and
without much stricter international control
of arms transfers. The report concludes with
recommendations to governments and
organizations.
Source:
http://www.ipisresearch.be/publications_de
tail.php?id=215
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Finardi, S., B. Wood, Considerations for an Air Cargo Industry Voluntary Code of Conduct relating to the
Transport of Arms, Ammunition and Other Military Equipment, UNDP/SEESAC, Belgrade, 2006
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Finardi, S., Kyrgyzstan Air Cargo Companies, European Commission, DG TREN-Unit F3, Environment and Air
Safety, 2006
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Finardi, S., C. Tombola, Defining and counting Small Arms Light Weapons - A proposal for a new approach,
Small Arms Survey 2004, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, 2004
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Finardi, S., C. Tombola, Le Strade delle Armi, Jaca Book, Milano, 2002
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Contributions
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Wood, B., P. Danssaert Study on the Development of a Framework for Improving End-Use and End-User
Control Systems, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, New York, 2011
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Fuelling Conflict - Foreign Arms supplies to Israel/Gaza, Amnesty International, London, 2009
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Blood at the Crossroads: making the case for a Global Arms Trade Treaty, Amnesty International, 2008
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Sudan: Arming the perpetrators of grave abuses in Darfur, Amnesty International, 2004
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Wood, B. (Editor), Developing a Mechanism to Prevent Illicit Brokering in Small Arms and Light Weapons,
UNIDIR, Geneva, 2006
Interviews, Lectures, and Presentations
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Kinoshita, T., K. Kubota, North Korea's Court Money, documentary NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation,
interview, 2014
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TransArms, Common Standards and Transport Services in the Arms Trade Treaty, Amnesty International,
Arms Trade Treaty Diplomatic Conference, United Nations, New York, July 11, 2012
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TransArms, Controlling arms supply-chains for an effective Arms Trade Treaty, Amnesty International, UN
Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms, United Nations, New York, June 16, 2010
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TransArms, Monitoring International Freight Transport, Preventing the Spread of SALW, Amnesty International,
UN Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms, United Nations, New York, July15, 2008
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TransArms, Tracking the Logistics of Arms Transfers. A Database on Transport Companies and Arms Brokers,
African Union and European Union Joint Seminar on “Demining and Disarmament”, Addis Ababa, April 18-20,
2007
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Vezyrgiannis, N., P. Nerantzis, In the Spider's Web, documentary, interview, Greek Radio Television ERT3 TV
(Greece), 2007
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TrasArms, Melding Defense and Commercial Logistics, Amnesty International, United Nations, New York,
January 16, 2006
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TransArms, The Freight Transport Industry and the Arms Supply Chain, European Commission, RELEX Seminar
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Nerantzis, P., The Arms Routes, in “Mixer” documentary series, interview, ERT3 TV (Greece), 2004
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TransArms, The logistics of arms transfers: research findings for the projects “Ariadne’s Thread” and “The
“From early warning to early Action” Brussels, September 13, 2006
matchmakers”, J.D. And C.T. MacArthur Foundation, Headquarters, Chicago, March 1, 2004

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