Conventional Weapons

Conventional weapons refer to weapons that do not contain toxic chemical, biological or nuclear materials and are generally considered legal under international law governing warfare.

The term conventional weapons cover a diverse range of land, air and sea based weapons such as tanks, warships, assault rifles and grenades. These weapons are most often used in inter-state and intra-state warfare and account for the majority of casualties in combat throughout the world. Conventional weapons often receive less international attention than WMD’s and there are fewer treaties to regulate these weapons in combat. Some notable international treaties include: The Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Regional initiatives, such as the Nairobi Declaration on the Problem of the Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lake Region and the Horn of Africa, have been created by states in order to address these problems. The problem of conventional weapons proliferation is especially prevalent in the developing world where small arms are not only cheap but easily accessible. The ease in which militant organizations have been able to purchase weapons has fueled the violence and ethnic conflict that has engulfed much of the world.

Small arms and light weapons fall under the "conventional weapons" category and are commonly found in conflict zones throughout the world. Small arms are defined as weapons that can be carried and operated by an individual soldier. They include: pistols, shot guns, assault rifles, machine guns and hand grenades. Light weapons refer to weapons that are less portable and are usually operated by several people. They include: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, anti-tank guns, missile launchers and mortars. Small arms and light weapons enable and exacerbate conflicts, undermine peace initiatives, increase human rights abuses and hamper development.

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons is much more common and widespread than nuclear proliferation, which is more difficult to transport and expensive to purchase. Small weapons are bought and sold on the international black market and are easily purchased by non-state actors with belligerent intentions.