Arms embargo is an international trade restriction imposed on military goods, technology and services that could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of human rights and/or international humanitarian law. They are typically imposed by an international organisation, such as the EU or the UN and apply to weapons, ammunition and armaments technology. In addition, they can also affect dual-use goods, technologies and services. This is why companies must regularly check sanctions lists and be aware of the potential for a conflict of interest. An efficient way to do this is by using a digital tool that compares business partners with the latest sanctions lists in real time.
However, arms embargoes are often circumvented. Arms networks are complex and can hide illegal arms transfers through front companies or third countries. Moreover, individual officials may be unable to identify these flows due to narrow political interests or even corruption. Furthermore, the UN does not always have sufficient resources to enforce embargoes.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of arms embargoes depends on better national controls of international arms exports and the ability of the UN Sanctions Committees to monitor their implementation. Currently, these checks are often incomplete, which is why a multifaceted approach to prevent illicit arms transfers is needed.
In his article, Hogendoorn argues that impartial arms embargoes are unlikely to be effective in changing the current war dynamics and that they will likely prolong conflict. Indeed, he shows that arms embargoed conflicts last on average 70 percent longer than non-embargoed conflict, increasing the length of civil wars by 14 months.
