US Opposes Arms Treaty

Neatly tying in with the previous post, it appears that the US has opposed a global arms trade treaty at the UN. The UN general assembly's first committee, the body responsible for disarmament and international security, voted by 139 votes to one on Thursday in favour of the move. No prizes for guessing who the opposed the agreement. The proposals were drawn up to cover the sale of all conventional weapons, including tanks and small arms. Although the treaty was unlikely to penalise large arms companies, it was expected to deal with individual arms dealers. Perhaps the opposition of America is unsurprising given that they are the largest exporter of arms in the world. Why should they encourage any treaty aimed at dealing with the issue, if they continue to make huge profits from arms sales. The $ always comes first.