2007年VOA标准英语-Study: Illegal Small Arms Trade Fueling African

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
03 January 2007

The major wars of the 20th century gave a boost to the legal arms trade.   But the end of the Cold War and the move from international to local and regional conflicts pushed trade in small arms and light weapons into a gray zone where oversight¹ is difficult.  Today, brokers³ and their networks of intermediaries and sub-contractors are increasingly involved in trafficking weapons to rebel groups fighting in developing countries.

Amnesty International arms expert Barry Wood explains how illicit⁴ weapons are transported into the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

"This is one of the planes coming into the DRC.  That registration⁵ number there is entirely⁶ fictitious⁷ and that is more or less normal," he noted⁸.

Wood, co-author of a recent study on illicit arms brokering⁹, says it requires a lot of expertise¹⁰ and can involve people across many continents.  The eventual¹¹ destination of the weapons is more often than not Africa.

"This one is again a plane with no markings on it whatsoever¹², just delivering its green boxes in Entebbe not very long ago," he added.  "And just in case you think the problem is going away, this is another arms flight coming into Darfur just a few months ago." 

The United Nations calls Sudan's conflict-ridden province of Darfur the worst humanitarian¹³ catastrophe¹⁴ in the world.  Since war broke out in 2003 between government-backed Arab militia¹⁵ and rebel groups some 200,000 people have been killed.

Hilde Janne Skorpen of the Norwegian ministry¹⁶ of foreign affairs says illicit traffic in small arms is a threat to international peace and security and a serious impediment to development.

"The role of the U.N. in combating the illicit flow has been more firmly established," she noted.  "The decision by the General Assembly this fall to start work on an arms trade treaty is a crucial step towards control of the international weapons trade." 

The United Nations estimates small arms cause more than 1,300 deaths every day.  At least 500,000 people are killed by them every year.  Since small arms are cheap and easy to move, the trade in these weapons is extremely difficult to trace or monitor.

Small arms expert Keith Krauss, says today more and more brokers are working privately¹⁷ and illegally.  From a global standpoint, he says arms brokering is not a huge money maker¹⁸.  But individually, a broker² can make a decent profit.

Al-Qaida weapons cache seized by Pakistani troops

"The seller is prepared to pay a significant premium¹⁹ over the market price, because they are not legally able to acquire weapons," he explained.  "But I would have to say, like all black-market activities, you don't have a good sense of the scale.  But it is not a large percentage of the total small arms market.  It might be up to a quarter.  It's probably lower than that.  So, it's a few hundred million dollars a year probably in total."

The illegal small arms trade extends all over the world.  Weapons reportedly are being sold to rebel groups in South America and Asia, such as the FARC in Colombia and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.  But in recent years the trade has been mainly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. 

In the last decade, Wood says the arms procurement²⁰ system has moved away from single suppliers to a more globalized market.  A study of the Rwandan archives traces the network of small arms dealers²¹ that supplied weapons to the people who carried out the Rwandan genocide.  Hutu extremists killed 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu in the spring of 1994.   Wood says the extremists got their arms from dealers in several countries, including Belgium, Britain, Italy, Albania and Israel. 

"There were seven cargo²² loads that were flown through just before the genocide started right up until the genocide had ended.  And so, you could say, if you cost it all up, $12.5 million of small arms and light weapons were used in that terrible humanitarian catastrophe," he noted.

Improved transport and communications aided by the Internet have expanded the scope and reach of small arms traders.  A broker with a mobile phone, a laptop computer and an air ticket can conclude deals and move from one country to another without any control over his activities.  It is virtually impossible to prosecute²³ someone for an alleged²⁴ crime if the legal jurisdiction²⁵ under which it was committed cannot be pinpointed²⁶.

1 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

2 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

3 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

4 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

5 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 brokering   

v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的现在分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• Intertwined with these were rivalry, power brokering, and patronage. 然而也不乏有抗争、强权操纵与任命特权交织其中。 来自互联网
• Kingston Quest Can Assist Your Company In Negotiations, Brokering, Agency Services, Sourcing Factories Or Property. 金士顿追求，可帮助您的公司在谈判中，经纪，代理服务，货源工厂或财产。 来自互联网

10 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

11 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

12 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

13 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

14 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

15 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

16 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

17 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

18 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

19 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

20 procurement   

n.采购；获得

参考例句：

• He is in charge of the procurement of materials.他负责物资的采购。
• More and more,human food procurement came to have a dominant effect on their evolution.人类获取食物愈来愈显著地影响到人类的进化。

21 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

22 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

23 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

24 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

25 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

26 pinpointed   

准确地找出或描述( pinpoint的过去式和过去分词 )； 为…准确定位

参考例句：

• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice. 他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。
• Computers pinpointed where the shells were coming from. 计算机确定了炮弹发射的位置。