Topic: Trade in High-Tech Weapons Systems
Country: Sweden
Delegate Name: Alec Norris
School: Forest Hills Central High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Sweden position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Sweden is the twelfth largest arms dealer in the world, they export, pistols, rifles, anti-tank and artillery weapons, attack helicopters, and jets. While the Swedish government often takes a neutral position in international conflicts and offers assistance through peacekeeping missions and foreign aid, it has continued to send military equipment to regimes accused of human rights abuses, including Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Bahrain and Egypt.
Sweden takes a neutral stand on most conflicts, they seem innocent but they deal a lot of weaponry. Sweden’s biggest exporter is the company Saab. They make 50 percent of their weapons. Their exports are monitored by the UN and they are regulated. Sweden does not export conventional arms or weapons of mass destruction. Sweden follows strict laws for exporting goods, the United Nations Security Council prohibits them from selling to threats of genocide, trafficking of conventional arms, and makes all exporters obey an embargo. Sweden also signed the ATT (Arms Trade Treaty) regulates trade as well. But Sweden’s imports on weapons is not Regulated by the ATT. Only the UNSC can prohibit what they import.
Sweden being one of the biggest exporters ($53.05 per capita) and also keeping the imports unregulated in national legislation, took a neutral side on this problem. The exporting of weapons should be regulated by the UNSC and the country has to follow the ATT, but importing should be monitored but not regulated. Sweden wants an unlimited quantity of buying weapons to increase profits. So Sweden believes the regulation should stay untouched and not become any stricter.
