Guns, butter and human rights. A multidimensional analysis of the EU arms industry through the lens of human rights
Guns, butter and human rights. A multidimensional analysis of the EU arms industry through the lens of human rights
Date
2024
Authors
Suárez Pascual, Raúl
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Abstract
The objective of this work is twofold. Firstly, I aim to identify the normative and enforcement
gaps in the international arms control framework that allow arms exports from EU Member
States to recipients involved in serious human rights and humanitarian law violations.
Secondly, in light of the evidence of a drift towards militarisation in the EU, I seek to
elucidate the drivers behind EU defense industry policies and the role of human rights within
them. To these ends, I examine the EU arms industry from three dimensions: regulatory,
economic, and political. I begin with a critical analysis of international disarmament treaties
and EU arms export rules (Chapter 1). Then, I analyse the macroeconomic impact of this
industry and the influences exerted by major arms companies, scrutinising their control
structures, main markets, and human rights policies (Chapter 2). Finally, I conceptualise the
political decisions underlying EU militarisation in the current context of complex
multipolarity and nationalistic tensions, examining these decisions and the narratives that
support them, along with diverse critical approaches (Chapter 3). By using the lens of human
rights, I aim to find a pragmatic yet principled approach between the prevalent realpolitik
position —increasing military expenditure and building a strong EU arms industry as the only
way to peace and security—, and the now utopian full disarmament agenda.
Description
Second semester University: University of Vienna
Keywords
weapons industry,
European Union,
human rights violations,
arms control,
international humanitarian law,
defence industry,
legal aspects,
economic aspects,
political aspects