Arms embargo
Encyclopedia
An arms embargo is an embargo
that applies to weaponry. It may also include "dual use" items. An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:
implemented the embargo against the 1976 Military Junta due to the Dirty War
. This was joined by the United Kingdom
after the 1982 Falklands War
. The ban was lifted in the 1990s when Argentina was named a Major non-NATO ally
. During those years Argentine Armed Forces shifted to Western European countries and Israel for supplies.
from 1977 extended to dual use items. The embargo was lifted by Resolution 919
in 1994.
or another international organization (EU
, OSCE and others) or country. In some cases the arms embargo is supplemented by general trade embargo, other sanctions
(financial) or travel ban for specific persons. In some cases the arms embargo applies to any entitiy residing or established in the country, but in others it is partial - the recognized government forces and international peacekeepers
are exempted from the embargo.
Embargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
that applies to weaponry. It may also include "dual use" items. An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:
- to signal disapproval of behavior by a certain actor,
- to maintain neutral standing in an ongoing conflict, or
- to limit the resources an actor has to inflict violence on others.
Argentina
US President Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
implemented the embargo against the 1976 Military Junta due to the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
. This was joined by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after the 1982 Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. The ban was lifted in the 1990s when Argentina was named a Major non-NATO ally
Major non-NATO ally
Major non-NATO ally is a designation given by the United States government to close allies who have strategic working relationships with US armed forces but are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization...
. During those years Argentine Armed Forces shifted to Western European countries and Israel for supplies.
Iran
There have been international sanctions against Iran since 1979.People's Republic of China
The U.S. and EU stopped exporting arms to the PRC after 1989, due to the reaction by the Chinese Communist Party to the protests in and around Tiananmen Square.South Africa
The arms embargo of South AfricaUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 418
United Nations Security Council Resolution 418, adopted unanimously on 4 November 1977, imposed a mandatory arms embargo against apartheid South Africa. This resolution differed from the earlier Resolution 282, which was only voluntary...
from 1977 extended to dual use items. The embargo was lifted by Resolution 919
United Nations Security Council Resolution 919
United Nations Security Council Resolution 919, adopted unanimously on May 25, 1994, after recalling all resolutions on South Africa, in particular resolutions 282 , 418 , 421 , 558 and 591 , the Council welcomed the recent general elections and new government and decided, under Chapter VII of the...
in 1994.
List of current arms embargoes
The countries included in the list are under arms embargo of the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
or another international organization (EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, OSCE and others) or country. In some cases the arms embargo is supplemented by general trade embargo, other sanctions
Economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...
(financial) or travel ban for specific persons. In some cases the arms embargo applies to any entitiy residing or established in the country, but in others it is partial - the recognized government forces and international peacekeepers
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
are exempted from the embargo.
- ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
(by OSCE) , 1992- - MyanmarMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
(by EU) , 1990- - People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(by EU/US) , 1989- - DR Congo (by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1807United Nations Security Council Resolution 1807 was unanimously adopted on 31 March 2008.- Resolution :The Security Council, condemning the continuing illicit flow of weapons within and into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this morning decided to extend and adjust the arms embargo and related...
, EU) , 2003/1993- (UN/EU) - Ivory Coast (by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1572United Nations Security Council Resolution 1572, adopted unanimously on November 15, 2004, after recalling Resolution 1528 on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire , the Council imposed an arms embargo on the country following recent violence and threatened further sanctions if Ivorian parties did not...
, EU), 2004- - EritreaEritreaEritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
(by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1907United Nations Security Council Resolution 1907, adopted on December 23, 2009, imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea, travel bans on its leaders, and froze the assets of some of the country's political and military officials as punishment for aiding anti-government rebels in Somalia and refusing to...
, EU), 2010- - GuineaGuineaGuinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
(by EU), 2009- - IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
(by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1747United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747 was a United Nations Security Council resolution that tightened the sanctions imposed on Iran in connection with the Iranian nuclear program...
, EU), 2006- - IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
(by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1483United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483, adopted on May 22, 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation between Iraq and Kuwait, the Council lifted trade sanctions against Iraq and terminated the Oil-for-Food Programme.The resolution was drafted by the United States and...
, EU), 1990- - North KoreaNorth KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
(by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1874United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874 was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on 12 June 2009. The resolution, passed under Chapter VII, Article 41, of the UN Charter, imposes further economic and commercial sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ...
, EU) , arms and luxury goodLuxury goodLuxury goods are products and services that are not considered essential and associated with affluence.The concept of luxury has been present in various forms since the beginning of civilization. Its role was just as important in ancient western and eastern empires as it is in modern societies...
s, 2006- - Hezbollah (by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1701United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution that was intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.It was unanimously approved by the United Nations Security Council on 11 August 2006. The Lebanese cabinet, which includes two members of Hezbollah, unanimously approved the...
, EU), 2006- - Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
(by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1132United Nations Security Council Resolution 1132, adopted unanimously on October 8, 1997, after expressing concern at the situation in Sierra Leone, the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, imposed an oil and arms embargo on the country.-Background:A series of military...
, EU), 1997- - SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
(by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1744United Nations Security Council Resolution 1744 was unanimously adopted on 21 February 2007.- Resolution :The Security Council this afternoon gave the green light to the African Union to establish a mission in Somalia for six months, and requested the Secretary-General to send a technical...
, EU), 1992/2002- (UN/EU) - SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
(by UNUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1591United Nations Security Council Resolution 1591, adopted on March 29, 2005, after recalling resolutions 1547 , 1556 , 1564 , 1574 , 1585 , 1588 and 1590 on the situation in Sudan, the Council placed a travel ban and asset freeze on those "impeding the peace process" in Darfur.The resolution was...
, EU), 2004/1994- (UN/EU) - UzbekistanUzbekistanUzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
(by EU), 2005- - ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
(by EU), 2002- - LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
(by United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security CouncilThe United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
), 2011
Former embargos
- RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
(by UN in Resolution 918United Nations Security Council Resolution 918United Nations Security Council Resolution 918, adopted without a vote on May 17, 1994, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation in Rwanda, particularly resolutions 872 , 909 and 912 , the Council expressed its alarm and condemnation at the continuing large-scale violence in the country...
and EU) (UN: 1994-2008, EU: )