21. Ethical dimensions Imposed on AMSI (Part II of greedy AMSI)

by sydshahid

We are discussing "Arms Manufacturing and Sale Industry (AMSI)" and its impact on global health. In the last blog we dicussed the first part of it as narrated by Timothy Atkinson MD, Field Director on Control Arms Campaign.

We continue now with the second part i.e. Ethical dimensions Imposed on AMSI



Ethical dimensions Imposed on AMSI



For many people, arms exports may pose an ethical challenge, as they may see supplying the weapons for a conflict as morally wrong. Essentially, they view the arms industry as a means of profiting from war and death of innocent lives when failure to supply arms could lead to an early disengagement.

Others believe that there is no shortage of parties to a conflict that can wreak incalculable destruction without the assistance of modern armaments—for instance, the Hutus of the Rwandan Genocide conducted most of their carnage using simple machetes and other low-tech implements.

One must bear in mind that machete is a large heavy instrument primarily invented for cutting vegetation on land. It was never designed for killing humans. There are many tools and equipments that can kill but are not designed to kill. Their primary purpose is to assist humans. For example base ball bat, knife, ax, saw, motor vehicle and even aeroplan can be used as weapon for human killing, but no one can argue the fact that the usefulness assigned to all these products has never been ascribed to as ‘weapons of killing’. On the other hand all the arms are manufactured with only one intention i.e. to kill human beings.



Of course—and this is endemic of nearly every debate over arms trade—the terminology used and the people it refers to can be frustratingly fluid. Critically these terminologies vary from time to time, place to place and governments to governments even in the same country. As years pass, governments decide on new "interests" and circumstances change accordingly. "Freedom fighters" become "insurgents". "Terrorists" become "invaluable allies", and "religious zealots" morph into "agents of stability". Entire nations, to use the parlance of the early 21st century, can go from the "Coalition of the Willing" to the "Axis of Evil" in very little time, and every change affects policy and the distribution of arms in the world.



At various times the question of when and under what circumstances to export arms has also been seen as a moral issue facing the United States and AMSI of other countries. This is so because weapons are, by definition, instruments of violence and killing, and so their transfer to another party is thought by many to entail some degree of responsibility for any use to which they are put by their recipients. After World War I, for example, many Americans opposed the export of arms on the grounds that their sale contributed to the likelihood of war and also provided obscene profits to the greedy "merchants of death” (AMSI). Similarly, during the Cold War some people objected to the sale or transfer of arms to pro-American dictators such as Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Pinochet of Chili, Pol Pot of Cambodia and military dictators of Mianmar who had been accused of egregious human rights violations.



War usually means big profits for the world's major defence companies. Given the latest US Defence budget now exceeds $600 billion, the Iraq conflict is unlikely to prove an exception.



Every sensible market economist should accept that a market must operate within a framework of law and most importantly within the boundaries of moral convention. Investment Bankers are not permitted to finance firms that sell poison and there are strong constraints on the emission of lead into rivers or on pollutants into the chain of foodstuffs. Exports of arms to dubious regimes (in third world countries) and to any country with questionable war morality (such as violation of UN resolution) or whose leaders have been suspected and convicted of war crimes should come within the sphere of what is considered out of bounds. Arms should never be sold to such regimes.


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We will continue with the third part of AMSI that outlines the description of the arms that are sold to the thirld world and the ethical aspect of it in the next blog.


For comment and questions please write to :

syedshahidmd@yahoo.com.au

P.S. I must thank all of those readers who send me comments and questions. I must tell them that their inspiring comments and questions are highly appreciated. Please continue to write, preferably via email.

Thanks

Sydshahid

Posted 6/10/2009 7:38:31 PM
About the Author



Syed Shahid MD
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Perth,  WA

Interests: Dr Sydney Shahid has many interests. He ejoys reading scietific magazines. He likes to keep himself busy with latest medical researches. He has special interest in Alzheimer’s illness. he has strong evidence that this tragedy can be delayed (if not prevented) for as long as 25 - 30 years and even longer, if one follows Dr Shahid’d six principles of health faithfully. He likes to make friends with those who have similar interests as his. He has few friends and they all appreciate what he is doing for humanity. He believes in positive thinking. In his opinion one must pursue those interests which make one believe in oneself. He loves to play tennis, table tennis and cricket if he can find time. Travelling is his other interest. He has travelled all over the world. He enjoys different cultures and their varied way of life. Lately world politics has become his passion. He wishes to see peace in the world but he doesn’t think it is possible because of the greed in the mind of most of the industrialised nations who are exploiting third world countries. He is also interested in writing a book about his Six Principle of Health (EUREKA). He is already in the process of making it happen. He wants the whole world to know his secret of healthy long life.

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