- Armed conflicts, climate crisis, extreme poverty, pandemics... Many factors can generate population movements in the world. The number of displaced people has only increased in recent years: in 2014, there were 59 million
displaced people; in 2018, 68 million; and in 2020, 80 million forcibly displaced. - These movements are perceived as threats. This has led to the securitization of borders, which pushes refugees and asylum seekers to take less and less safe routes.
- This has led to an increase in mortality: in 2021, 1300 people died in the Mediterranean.
- This increasing security is accompanied by an increase in repression and violence against refugees and asylum seekers.
- It allows the arms and security industry to make profit by developing materials for surveillance, biometric tracing and repression for which countries equip themselves.
Briefing Paper 7:
French political and military circles regularly claim that the defence industry is an exemplary model of French excellence ; in their view, not only does it benefit the economy and society but it also contributes to national sovereignty. The defence strategy inaugurated at the beginning of the Fifth Republic relies on a strong arms industry to supply the French military with its weapons. However, in order to remain economically sound, the arms industry depends on the revenue generated by its export markets. Thus, France remains the third largest exporter of weapons and military equipment in the world.
Briefing Paper 6:
- Over the last few years, French law enforcement forces have received an increasing amount of military equipment. The prevailing idea in both public debate and government policies is that ‘security’ is achieved solely through military responses has been associated with a growing militarisation of policing in France.
- Militarisation inevitably leads to an escalation of violence. The easy availability of weapons, whether at local/national/European levels, increases the chances that these weapons will be (mis)used. As of November 2019, a year of ‘yellow jacket’ demonstrations saw 2 deaths, 316 head injuries, 25 mutilated, 5 dismembered hands and thousands of other injured protesters.
Briefing Paper 5: Building peace in the world: which practices does peacebuilding cover?
Briefing Paper 3: Arms trade and climate change
The climate crisis is an existential threat to all creatures and plant life on earth; it also has a considerable but little-publicised impact on the world of armaments and defence. Climate change is measured by harmful CO2 emissions which increase sharply with fossil fuel combustion and global deforestation. Rising emissions also exacerbate geopolitical disputes. In a 2014 report published by the Pentagon and the US military, new conflict scenarios linked to this crisis, coupled with increasingly scarce resources were envisaged. Unknown to most, the arms, defence, and military industries worldwide are - extremely polluting industries; as the biggest consumers of fossil fuels, they emit the most greenhouse gases (GHGs).
Briefing Paper 1: The Arms Trade and Covid-19
The impact of the coronavirus on arms exports in France
In France, the world's third largest arms exporter, 90% of arms exports appear to have been suspended during the first national lock-down, while 10% are still operational. Nonetheless, the arms trade continues in various ways.
