Campaign Against Arms Trade

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is a UK-based NGO and campaigning organisation working towards the abolition of the international arms trade. Founded in 1974 by a broad coalition of peace groups, CAAT is united in opposition to the military industrial complex and the growth of the private military industry. It argues that these organisations reinforce global militarism whilst undermining attempts by civil society and the United Nations to resolve disputes peacefully. CAAT's main focus is to end the influence of arms companies over the UK government, and works together with similar organisations in other countries to the same end. CAAT has grown in stature in recent years as a result of several high profile campaigns, particularly its legal challenge against the Serious Fraud Office's decision to suspend a corruption investigation into BAE Systems in 2007.

Contents

[edit] Current Issues

[edit] BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia Corruption Inquiry

BAE Systems formerly British Aerospace, is the world's third largest weapons trader. In September 1985 BAE was a signatory to the UK's largest ever arms deal, the Al Yamamah contract to provide military planes as well as servicing provisions to the government of Saudi Arabia. This ongoing contact has evolved through several phases to the present day and has thus made the company £43 billion pounds. [1]

Shortly after the contract was signed however, corruption allegations began to surface concerning bribes paid to Saudi officials through a £60 million pound slush fund. [2] On 12th September 2003 the Serious Fraud Office began an investigation into possible corruption. BAE are also the subject of four active SFO investigations for its dealings in Romania, the Czech Republic, South Africa and Tanzania, calling into question the general operating conduct of its agents. [3] However on the 14th December 2006 the Government discontinued the Al Yamamah probe on the grounds that its conclusions may embarrass the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and threaten Britain's national security. [4]

CAAT in conjunction with The Corner House, an anti-corruption NGO, mounted a legal challenge to this decision, to assess if in curtailing the Serious Fraud Office'sinvestigation the Government had acted illegally. Thus on 9th November 2007 the High Court in London granted a request for a judicial review of the decision. Subsequently, on the 10th April the conclusion of this review stated that the Government had indeed acted illegally in stopping the corruption investigation. Lord Justice Moses and Mr Justice Sullivan ruled that the Government had capitulated under intimidation from the government of Saudi Arabia and that "no-one whether within this country or outside, is entitled to interfere with the course of justice." [5] BAE systems continue to deny any impropriety stating the court had failed "to distinguish between a commission and a bribe." [6] This ruling has since been appealed by the SFO and is due to be heard before the House of Lords.

In response to this hearing the Government has drafted a controversial clause of the Constitutional Reform Bill. This will grant the attorney-general the power to quash any further such investigations with immunity from judicial interference. CAAT and the Corner House have both condemned any such legislation as a perversion of justice which will erode the accountability of the executive and threaten the rule of law. [7]


[edit] Closure of DESO

The Defence Export Services Organisation was an adjunct of the Ministry of Defence concerned with procuring contracts for private military companies to export arms to foreign governments. [8] The closure of DESO had been a core campaigning aim of CAAT since its inception in 1974, and was their main focus in 2006.

CAAT brought considerable pressure on the government concerning the ethics of some such trading, given that in 2004, UK arms exort licenses were granted to 13 of the 20 'majr countries of concern' identified by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in its 2005 Human Rights Annual Report.[9] CAAT also alleged that DESO unfairly privileged the interests of the arms companies and helped facilitate bribes to foreign officials. [10] In responce to this on 25th July 2007 Gordon Brown announced that DESO would indeed be shut down. [11]

Chief Executive of BAE Systems Mike Turner condemned the decision by citing the damage it would do to Britain's export trade. [12] CAAT argued that the closure of DESO is a step forward in transparency for the government. As a result it will be less hamstrung by lobbyists seeking to manipulate its human rights and budgetary policies. [13]

In future export promotion will be the responsibility of UK Trade and Investment, the body that supports all UK exports. CAAT has pledged to monitor UKTI to make sure that military exports, (less than 2% of total UK exports in 2004), do not monopolise a disproportionate amount of its resources. [14]


[edit] DSEi: Reed Elsevier Campaign

Defence Systems and Equipment International is one of the largest arms fairs in the world which takes place in London bi-annually, the last occuring in September 2007. From 2001 to May 2008 the DSEi was organised by Reed Elsevier, a publishing and information company.

As CAAT is opposed to the existence of arms fairs, [15] it campaigned to encourage Reed Elsevier to extricate itself from the arms industry. There followed a sustained and concerted effort from academics, doctors and writers that use the company's products, who demanded they end their involvement with arms fairs on ethical grounds. [16] This culminated in Reed's decision to sell its arms fairs in June2007, [17] a sale which was completed in May 2008 [18]

However, CAAT intends to continue campaigning for the overall closure of DSEi and other arms fairs.

[edit] Clean Investment Campaign

From universities to local authorities CAAT has consistently sought to highlight areas where public bodies hold shares in companies trading in arms. On 9th July CAAT released research that 75 local authorities in the UK held such investments through their pension funds. [19] It has argued that many council employees reject the notion that they should help to prop up such companies and continues to advocate a more ethical investment strategy. [20]

The long standing Clean Investment campaign has had many successes in the past, one of the most significant occuring in 2001. In response to pressure from the CAAT Christian Network the Church of England redefined its investment criteria and confirmed it will no longer invest in arms companies. [21] Despite excluding arms company holdings, the Church remained, in 2005, the second best performer of more than 1,000 funds over the previous decade. [22]

Furthermore, from 2005 the CAAT Universities Network has met with considerable success in its campaign to advocate ethical investment across the UK. A report entitled 'Study War No More' has highlighted military funding and involvement within 26 British universities. [23] CAAT facilitates research into the details of university investment portfolios which has helped students to mount their own campaigns for clean investment. [24] This has resulted in many universities divesting their shares in the arms industry, whilst many more campuses continue to campaign for similar action to be taken. [25]

[edit] Structure and Funding Network

CAAT has no formal membership structure. Individuals and affiliated groups (local branches of peace organisations, trade unions, churches, etc.), donate whatever they can afford towards the cost of running the campaign and receiving CAAT News , a bi-monthly magazine. There are also sponsoring groups who either took part in founding CAAT or have taken a major supporting role since. However 80% of CAAT's funding comes from individual donations.

CAAT is made up of grass-roots groups who come together to campaign for a variety of causes and issues surrounding its overall aims. In addition to local groups, CAAT also has a Christian Network, which looks at arms trade issues involving churches and mobilises Christians against the arms trade, (although CAAT as a whole includes members from many diverse faiths and those of no faiths). CAAT also has a Universities Network which involves students and university staff in campus-based campaigning. Potentially, other new networks can be formed at any time.

[edit] Criticisms

CAAT has been criticised by some activists and campaigners, who suggest that media engagement and Parliamentary lobbying are passive mediums which somehow compromise the credibility and legitimacy of the organisation. [26] In answer to this, CAAT would draw attention to its recent successes, which have proved the effectiveness of a multi-faceted campaign strategy that utilises a variety of complimentary approaches to achieve results. Additionally, involvement in CAAT's activities, demonstrations and protests is conditional on accepting the need to remain non-violent throughout. [27]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ [O'Connell, Dominic. "BAE cashes in on £40bn Arab jet deal", The Sunday Times, News International, 2006-08-20]
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ [2]
  4. ^ [3]
  5. ^ [4]
  6. ^ [5]
  7. ^ [6]
  8. ^ [7]
  9. ^ [8]
  10. ^ [9]
  11. ^ [10]
  12. ^ [11]
  13. ^ [12]
  14. ^ [13]
  15. ^ [14]
  16. ^ [15]
  17. ^ [16]
  18. ^ [17]
  19. ^ [18]
  20. ^ [19]
  21. ^ [20]
  22. ^ [Financial Times 30/03/05}
  23. ^ [http://www.studywarnomore.org.uk}
  24. ^ [http://www.caat.org.uk/press/archive.php?url=270208prs}
  25. ^ [21]
  26. ^ [Peace News, May 2008, pp9]
  27. ^ [22]