ABSTRACT
Disarmament and weapons management must be seen as part of a wider political process aimed at resolving the underlying and structural sources of conflict. This chapter explores the need to control the proliferation of light weapons as part of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction processes, as well as the consequences of failing to do so. It also assesses the responsibilities of the actors involved. Largely because peace operations downplay the relative importance of disarmament in the implementation of their mandates, disarmament is also down-played in most post-conflict reconstruction processes. To demonstrate the connection between incomplete disarmament and weak post-conflict reconstruction processes and to analyse the impact of both on a region, the Towards Collaborative Peace Project at the Institute for Security Studies undertook a series of field trips in Southern Africa and South America. To address the light weapons problem effectively, a simultaneous joint effort is required by national, regional and international actors.
