Norm Building in the Evolution of the Control of Small Arms in the International Agenda

This article traces the rise of small arms & light weapons control into the international agenda. It contends that a norm building process happened throughout the 1990s focusing on creating standards & measures seeking to curb the unrestricted availability of small arms worldwide, especially their illicit small arms trafficking, in all aspects. This articles also points to a change in the arms control paradigm: from one that did not pay attention to small arms as a separate subject of arms control to a new one where small arms became a subject of importance in the international security agenda. In these processes, the author unveils who were the most important actors in the complex & multi-layered process of placing a new subject in the spotlight of international action. It finishes by describing the legal & political framework existent at the disposal of states & non-governmental organizations, i.e. treaties, conventions, & programs for research & action on small arms control.