Chinas Growing Arms Trade and the Politics Behind It - Thesis Example

Stohl and Grillot (2009) point out that the number of arms traded worldwide increased after the Second World War as nations strived for security, power, and economy. The three motivations are what Pearson refers to as threat perception, military ambition, and economic wealth (Stohl and Grillot 2009).Trading arms is not an illegal kind of business. The business only becomes illegal when certain considerations such as the risks to human rights, life, and possible exacerbation of conflicts among other crucial factors are not considered.

Defining as well as identifying, prosecuting, punishing, and preventing illegal trade of arms are all very difficult. According to Stohl and Grillot (2009, n.p.), “the 2002 Small Arms Survey defines illegal black market transfers as those in clear violation of national and/or international laws and without official government consent or control”. Corrupt government agents with personal interests may authorize illegal transfers of arms even when government authorities do not authorize them.

The biggest trade and industry in the world today is probably weaponry, with drug trafficking and trade of endangered species coming second. According to Stohl and Grillot (2009, p. 16), “the first major trend in the modern arms trade system was the shift from private to government actors as the dominant players”. This was especially in the twentieth century when governments increase their support for the manufacturing of weapons by making funds available for research and development so that new and better designs of weapons could be innovated.

It is a fact that “governments also involved themselves in the international arms trade throughout the twentieth century by offering credit for arms purchases and by offsetting the foreign exchange costs associated with the financial transaction” (Stohl and Grillot 2009, p. 16). This because they clearly reveal the political nature of the Chinese arms trade, its growth, and factors that have led to the growth and the criticism associated with the entire business. The nations covered include those in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq.