Although the Register turned out to be a useful step towards introducing greater transparency into the murky world of the arms trade, until now it has proved no more than that. The convention does not include any sanctions against countries that buy large amounts of weapons or against countries that supply weapons to such customers. One thing that became clear from the publication of the UN Register of Conventional Arms is that the biggest suppliers are the members of the Security Council, the highest organ of the very organization that started the Register. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that a Security Council member will accept any UN restrictions on its arms export policies. It is not easy to limit the arms trade.
Governments have many reasons to continue buying and selling.
It does not make the world a safer or a nicer place. It is a serious danger which has to be stopped. Since the end of the Cold War military factories in Europe and the United States have been confronted with a shrinking market. Western armies have often preferred the option of updating and repairing old weaponry to the purchase of more modern but highly expensive new arms. A unique opportunity to put an end to the arms trade and to convert military production into civilian production has been created.