Merchants Of Death

Essay by woofcatHigh School, 11th gradeA-, November 2008

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� PAGE �6� Merchants of Death

"Merchants of Death - The Truth behind the Arms Industry"

NAME HERE

DATE AND OTHER SUCH INFORMATION

"Bullets change governments far surer than votes."

Cage, N. (Producer), & Niccol, A. (Director). (2005). Lord of War [Motion Picture]. Santa Monica, CA: Lions Gate Films.

Though sugarcoated for the general public, the 2005 motion picture "Lord of War" is a candid eye-opener to one of the world's most massive global 'businesses'. Arms trade or 'Gunrunning' is an international business practiced worldwide. Decades ago the arms business was largely controlled by the governments of the world. Though there are groups of private arms companies now, gunrunning remains tied to today's politics and relations of the world. The arms industry holds a key position in the world's politics; as alliances between countries are made, and as treaties are indoctrinated. The world's politics is a complex system, with the leaders of the superpowers of the world making the rules, and arms companies (large private groups of gunrunners) carrying out orders.

However, if one were to give it some thought, it would seem likely that it's the other way around; that it's actually the gunrunners which has an influence on the governments.

The Arms Trade is undoubtedly one of the world's biggest industries employing hundreds of thousands worldwide. Prosperous, developed and financially stable countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Russia and France partake in the selling of small arms and all assortments of weapons to other countries, specifically developing third world countries. The United States has sold approximately 123.543 billion US dollars worth of weapons developing and industrialized countries from 1999 to 2006, and this is excluding Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Pakistan, Israel, U.A.E, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, China, India, etc. Of this...