Guns in the Balkans: controlling small arms and light weapons in seven Western Balkan countries

Violent conflict in the Western Balkans has been a significant problem for more than a decade. Addressing the problem of violence in the Western Balkans requires attention to the availability, circulation and control of weapons – particularly small arms and light weapons, which continue to cause the most significant problems. After a tremendous influx of armaments during the Balkan wars of the 1990s – as well as a significant proliferation of weapons made in Yugoslavia – a large amount of weaponry continues to exist in the region, and governments must struggle to develop and implement appropriate arms control measures in an effort to meet standards of western integration. This article analyses the extent to which the countries of the Western Balkans are addresssing their weapons issues and specifically to what extent they have successfully developed and implemented measures to control the movement of arms. The author finds that there is a significant gap between policy and practice as most countries have ...