Forum on the Arms Trade
@forumarmstrade.bsky.social
1K followers 140 following 560 posts
forumarmstrade.org -- The Forum is a network of civil society experts and a point of contact for strengthening public efforts to address the humanitarian, economic and other implications of arms transfers, security assistance, and weapons use.
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omegarf.bsky.social
Big news from the @coe.int!
We join @amnestyeu.bsky.social in welcoming this progress towards #TortureFreeTrade!
amnestyeu.bsky.social
@amnesty.org welcomes the @coe.int decision toward torture- & death penalty-free trade.

After a review of CM/Rec(2021)2 on measures against trade in goods used for the death penalty & torture, @coe.int committed to further efforts to control this trade worldwide.
search.coe.int/cm/eng?i=091...
CoE Search - CM
search.coe.int
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costsofwar.bsky.social
BREAKING: The post-10/7 wars have killed or injured at least 236,505 people in Gaza alone. The U.S. has spent over $31 billion and counting in the wider region since Oct. 7, 2023, where millions have been displaced, according to new Costs of War research. [THREAD]

Photo Credit: Heidi Levine, 2025
Photo by Heidi Levine (July 30, 2025) showing an aerial view of Gaza destruction, taken during a Royal Jordanian military flight for a humanitarian aid mission.
forumarmstrade.bsky.social
Where does your country stand on humanitarian disarmament treaties and initiatives? Find out here www.forumarmstrade.org/hdtracker.html (and see docs.google.com/spreadsheets...)
forumarmstrade.bsky.social
As the UN First Committee (disarmament) gets started, see the updated spreadsheet on where states stand on humanitarian disarmament treaties and initiatives w/ new intro from @yeshuamp.bsky.social (also available as spreadsheet docs.google.com/spreadsheets...) www.forumarmstrade.org/hdtracker.html
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bcfinucane.bsky.social
Good to see this letter from House ranking members on the nat'l security committees asking for the administration's list of "designated terrorist organizations" and the OLC legal memo blessing lethal strikes in the Caribbean.

Executive branch has issued itself a license to kill secret enemies.
However, your Administration has not identified any of the specific organizations you
have determined to be included as designated terrorist organizations, nor the criteria or process
used for making such determinations. You have also failed to specify the authority under which
the Administration is able to designate affiliates of certain drug trafficking organizations as
enemy combatants for the purpose of undertaking lethal strikes. We request that you immediately
provide a list of all designated terrorist organizations to Congress, along with the associated
determination criteria or methodologies used. In addition, you have not provided Congress with
details regarding the intelligence associated with these strikes.
Finally, the Administration has not provided significant details with respect to the legal
justification for these strikes beyond vague assertions of Article II powers. The President’s
Article II powers are significant, but they are not limitless. It is our understanding that the
Department of Defense has determined strikes against designated terrorist organizations are legal
on the basis of a legal opinion produced by the Department of Justice. We ask that you provide
that legal opinion to Congress immediately.
We look forward to receiving the list of designated terrorist organizations and the
Department of Justice legal opinion. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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dylanwilliams.bsky.social
This week marks two years since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

A new @cipolicy.bsky.social memo sets out recommendations for permanently ending the Gaza war that followed & ensuring the long term security, rights & well-being of Israelis & Palestinians:

internationalpolicy.org/wp-content/u...
forumarmstrade.bsky.social
New from Brian Caster, Rachel Stohl, Elias Yousif via @stimsoncenter.bsky.social "...While PMCs diminish immediate state-on-state escalation risks by providing a plausibly deniable
target for retaliatory action, their presence can also encourage kinetic responses..."
www.stimson.org/2025/mercena...
Mercenaries in the Battlespace • Stimson Center
Assessing how private military companies shape escalation management, deterrence, and WMD risks
www.stimson.org
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minefreeworld.bsky.social
#SilentKillers ep.5 is out 👇

Erin Hunt, Executive Director of Mines Action Canada, discusses her journey into activism, the power of public engagement, and the vital role of youth in disarmament.

🎧 Tune in to hear how global change starts with education, advocacy, and action: bit.ly/42ufr9T
Silent Killers Episode 5: A New Generation of Disarmament Leaders
In this episode of Silent Killers, David Peck interviews Erin Hunt, the Executive Director of Mines Action Canada, discussing her journey into activism, the importance of public engagement, and the role of youth in disarmament efforts. They explore the Mind Action Fellows Program, which empowers young advocates to engage in international diplomacy and share survivor stories. The conversation highlights the challenges faced in the fight against landmines, the importance of celebrating small wins, and the hope for a future free of landmines through collective action and support from decision-makers. Erin Hunt is the Executive Director of Mines Action Canada. She has been doing public education on the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines since 2003 and working in humanitarian disarmament in various capacities since 2006. Erin's areas of expertise include the humanitarian impact of indiscriminate weapons, victim assistance, gender in disarmament and Canadian disarmament policy. She contributes to the work of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Cluster Munition Coalition, the International Campaign to Abolish nuclear weapons and Stop Killer Robots. Erin contributes to the Women, Peace and Security Network - Canada and to national and international working groups on feminist and gender sensitive approaches to foreign policy and mine action. During the 2017 process to negotiate the Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons, Erin was a member of the International Campaign to Abolish nuclear weapons negotiating team which was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. Prior to joining Mines Action Canada, Erin worked on victim assistance programs for landmine survivors in Uganda, implemented sport-based peacebuilding programs for youth in a post-conflict setting and worked in child welfare. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Victoria and a Masters Degree in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University. www.minesactioncanada.org
bit.ly
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bellingcat.com
Smuggling routes, illegal fishing operations, and shadow fleets. There’s loads going on at sea. Try to track some ships yourself, this month in the Bellingcat Open Source Challenge. Find the exercises, created by our volunteer @tomi-mcc.bsky.social, here: challenge.bellingcat.com
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sipri.org
Following the Hamas-led attack on #Israel on 7 Oct 2023, Israel launched a military campaign in #Gaza. This military campaign has continued for the past two years.

This backgrounder looks at how 6 of the top 10 exporters of major arms have adjusted their policies in the past year 🔗 bit.ly/4gTypwn
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stopkillerrobots.bsky.social
🧵👇UPDATE: Here are some additional statements from High Level Week at #UNGA80 on #AutonomousWeapons and military #AI

🆕 Take a deeper dive in our latest Substack post: stopkillerrobots.substack.com/p/no-machine...
stopkillerrobots.bsky.social
#HighLevelWeek at the United Nations🇺🇳 made clear that
#AutonomousWeapons are on the table. The international community needs to create legal safeguards on military #AI and #AutonomousWeapons.

🧵👇 Here are some key takeaways from this week at #UNGA80
forumarmstrade.bsky.social
Daryl Kimball, @armscontrolnow.bsky.social: "The U.S. Foreign Assistance Act—and basic human decency—require withholding military aid when U.S. weapons are used by any government that engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of human rights ... " www.armscontrol.org/act/2025-10/...
Israel, Gaza, and the Erosion of International Order | Arms Control Association
www.armscontrol.org