ABSTRACT
The most potent symbol of conflict and violence in the closing years of the 20th century is the AK-47 assault rifle, and the increasingly widespread incidence of low intensity conflict is rapidly becoming the major security threat of this era. A critical aspect of the trend toward political and military violence is the growing availability of light weapons and small arms which were originally produced and procured for use primarily by armed forces. The main source of concern regarding the present and future supply of light weapons is the former Eastern bloc and former republics of the Soviet Union (FSU). Weapons are flowing out of and around this region in considerable quantities, to several destinations—in Europe, Central Asia and beyond—via numerous networks. There are two basic sources of demand for light weapons-including small arms-in South Africa, the first political and the second criminal. Of the 18,312 murders in 1994, 5,872 were committed with small arms and light weapons.
