NATO REVIEW 2011
Edition 2: Social media: power to the people?
Edition 3: Why NATO's partners matter
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Small weapons, big impact
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Small weapons, big impact
What connects accidental explosions in cities and villages, a criminal underground racket and a source of potential terrorism? The answer is small arms and light weapons. In this edition, we look at how 200 million of them around the world affect people and societies - and how the international community is responding.
Photostory: the struggle against small arms in pictures
Why is action on small arms so important? In this photostory, the facts and figures about the spread, effects and dangers of small arms is set out
Small arms: the real weapons of mass destruction?
NATO's Chuck Parker saw the impact of light weapons first hand when serving in Vietnam. Today, he is one of the people trying to prevent the same misuse and mishandling of the weapons that continues today.
10 years of action on small arms: where are we now?
The 2001 UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) will celebrate its tenth anniversary in the summer of 2011. Sarah Parker asks: what difference has it really made?
Small arms: Thousands destroyed, millions remain
David Towndrow and Fred Peugeot of NATO’s agency dealing with the dangers of small arms and light weapons outline progress so far and challenges ahead
Limit arms exports to reduce violence against women
The availability of small arms increases sexual violence against women, so international action is needed, argues Rebecca Gerome
Dangerous stockpiles: unplanned explosions’ high costs
Over 50 incidents of unplanned explosions at munitions depots in 34 countries since 2009 is not a case of bad luck, argue Eric Berman, Pilar Reina and Pierre Gobinet
How to keep ammunition out of the hands of terrorists
Gillian Goh and Christopher Clark of the UN explain how new guidelines could help put small arms and ammunitions further from the reach of terror groups

Albert Einstein made a famous prediction before his death. 'I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,' he said, 'but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.'

During his lifetime, the threat of imminent mass destruction loomed large. Nuclear weapons were a new element in man's history which - for the first time - could easily see the end of man.

But today, fears over hair-trigger nuclear strikes have dissipated. And it is tempting to think that maybe the weapons that Einstein couldn't name are small arms.

Albert Einstein made a famous prediction before his death. 'I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,' he said, 'but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.'

During his lifetime, the threat of imminent mass destruction loomed large. Nuclear weapons were a new element in man's history which - for the first time - could easily see the end of man.

But today, fears over hair-trigger nuclear strikes have dissipated. And it is tempting to think that maybe the weapons that Einstein couldn't name are small arms. Because around the world, people are affected every day - through death and injury - by these weapons. Just ask the families of the 750,000 people killed by them last year.

And they spread their influence well beyond wars. Of that 750,000, around two thirds were killed in non-conflict situations. In other words, small arms kill more people 'on the street than the battlefield'.

In this edition of NATO Review, we talk to the people who are experts in this area. And one theme that most of them come back to is that keeping better tabs on where the weapons are, how they are transported and stored is key. This will not only help to keep the weapons out of the hands of criminals, it will also reduce the number of accidents that nearly every region of the world (including many NATO countries) have seen when munitions stockpiles explode.

What's clear is that - as with most tasks - better international coordination would make a difference. Those who trade in illicit weapons find it easy to dive between the cracks of different administrations and regulations. We have an article from the UN on how they are tackling this.

Finally, we have a piece from a young consultant whose article won a recent international competition. In it, she makes a compelling case for a greater focus on how the harm done by small weapons often ends up affecting more women than men.

Small arms may not have the high profile of weapons of mass destruction, but their silent, daily destruction of many people's lives is proving almost as deadly.

Paul King