ABSTRACT
The chapter examines two types of masquerade, the covers, the author use to get inside the fairs, and the veneer of respectability that surrounds the arms trade. At the defence and security exhibition international (DSEI), the arms trade is everywhere, yet nowhere. Bombs, tanks, grenades, and fighter jets are all on show, yet there is no sign of their violent intent. The arms trade is hiding in the light. Andrew Feinstein has meticulously researched arms deals secured with bribes, slush funds and prostitutes. He suggests that the arms industry is particularly vulnerable to corruption, as arms production is regarded as essential to national security, the lines between industry and government are blurred, and legal concerns are often pushed to one side. At DSEI, arms traders rub shoulders with politicians, royalty and military brass. The chapter discusses a long tradition of official war art where artists are commissioned to draw in war zones.
