Introduction

This book is concerned with a specific category of weapons: small arms and light weapons (SALW). In particular, its authors aim to explore the relationship between research and policy that has evolved since the mid-1990s when matters of SALW proliferation, availability and misuse were first brought to the attention of the international community. It also provides reflections on future directions for policy and research. Accordingly, the volume aims to provide a retrospective analysis of nearly two decades of interaction between research, advocacy and policymaking on SALW while offering a sense of new horizons, from each of these perspectives.