By Pranati Mehtha, Jan 2013, 30pp

ROUGH SEAS AHEAD? A study of resource conflict in the South China Sea and its relationship to the rising military budgets in Asia-Pacific is the latest in our series of studies looking at the geo-political context of military expenditure. The paper looks at the origins and background to the various disputes in the region, and the interests/claims of the various contending states, including the USA. The case is made for a solution through international law rather than increasing the risk of military confrontation. 

By Colin Archer and Annette Willi, 2012

IPB wrote a Position Paper entitled Opportunity Costs: Military Spending and the UN's Development Agenda. It makes the case that military spending should be taken into consideration in the debate now under way on the UN's Post-2015 Development Agenda (following on from the Millennium Development Goals). In IPB's view, militarization is a significant factor in the sustainable development equation, often undermining the security of citizens. At the same time, the massive resources devoted to the military sector could - if even a small portion were reallocated - make a major contribution to meeting the challenges of mass poverty, unemployment and climate change.

By Alicia Dueck, 2009

A succinct introduction to the Arms Trade, showing how it relates to IPB's Disarmament for Development programme. 20pp illustrated booklet.

By Nicola Winter. August 2008

This paper aims at understanding why the largest, most obvious source of potential financial resources - military spending - continues to be ignored by governments. It. outlines a basic understanding of different aspects of development finance and the texts of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Monterrey Consensus (MC). It surveys the main players and the UN process, and then seeks to identify and analyses the obstacles within this framework that prevent the consideration of military expenditure as a potential financial source for development. Finally, it considers what can be done to change this.

By David Hay-Edie, 2010

This paper looks at how military establishments are using the challenges of climate change to adapt their security strategies and institute new spending programmes. Often, as few offsetting reductions are made elsewhere in military budgets, overall military spending increases. Meanwhile, significant disarmament is stalled. The paper seeks to help make peace campaigners aware of this new dimension to militarism.

By David Hay-Edie, 2009

The initial drop in military spending after the end of the Cold War has not been sustained. Although the number of armed conflicts is diminishing, military expenditure is rising in almost all regions. The challenge to peace and disarmament campaigners is how to reverse this trend. This paper suggests ways of thinking about this challenge, and some paths for campaigners to pursue.

By Alicia Dueck, 2009

IPB-estimations of the financial resources necessary to achieve the Millemium Development Goals.

By Kenneth Mostad, July 2008

This paper analyses the legal mechanisms, interim government, aid agencies and present military forces in place in the country, and shows how Afghans believe the situation can be improved.

By Samuel Flückiger, 2008

This paper looks at how the control of the armed forces does and should take place in democratic societies, with a special focus on the role of civilians and civil society. It defines the concepts of civilian and civil society, presents the different components of the process leading to an armed forces intervention, namely security and defence policy, budgeting, procurement and command. The aim is to identify how democratic civilian control of the armed forces can best be exercised and at what stages.

By Bruce Abramson and Clara Didio, 2007

One important reason for the persistent gap between the CRC and its implementation is the failure of governments to allocate adequate resources for the realization of rights, in spite of their obligation to fulfill economic, social and cultural rights "to the maximum extent of their available resources", as set out in CRC Art. 4. As a matter of fact,  military spending takes a far greater share of both public spending and national income in most countries, thereby diverting huge resources from programmes for children and adolescents.

Reduction of military spending, greater fairness in budget allocations for young people, as well as more transparency and accountability in government expenditures, must all become major components of efforts to promote the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Full text here.

By Emma Henriksson, 2007

Full-text here.

By Ben Buckland, 2007

In this paper, Buckland argues that while climate change is clearly a major threat to human security, it is unlikely to be a major cause of violent conflict.Therefore, securisation is an inappropriate response to climate change, which requires a political and not a military solution.

By Melina Heinrich, 2006

This study looks at the results of the UN Small Arms Review Conference in 2006 and their policy implications.

A neglected aspect of the sustainable development debate by David Hay-Edie and Colin Archer, 2002

This briefing-paper is intented as a resource to help integrate the military dimension into our collective efforts to confront the serious challenges of sustainable development.