Exhibitions

THE ETIQUETTE OF THE ARMS TRADE

Dates:
01.10.17 - 31.12.17

Exhibitors:
Jill Gibbon

The world is awash with weapons. The wars of the twentieth century have skewed manufacturing in the US, Russia, France, Germany, China, and the UK towards military production. At the end of the Cold War there was a brief opportunity to diversify into other areas; instead arms companies merged into multinationals and started selling to almost anyone who would buy. Arms fairs were established in the 1990s to provide international venues for these deals.

The world’s largest arms fair DSEI (the Defence Security Exhibition International) takes place every two years in London. There are similar fairs in other cities – Eurosatory in Paris, IDEX in Abu Dhabi, and ADEX in Seoul. Here, a bomb ‘steps forth as a commodity, it is changed into something transcendent.’ iii Missiles glint under spotlights. Ammunition shells are arranged in ascending order. Mannequins show off the latest batons, pepper gel, and tear gas. Tanks and helicopters are open for viewing. And between the jets and bombs, tables are laid with white cloths, beer, and pretzels, while hostesses hover with trays of champagne.

Buyers include repressive regimes, unstable states, and countries involved in aggressive wars. Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, and Saudi Arabia are regular guests at DSEI. iv The Middle East has become a key focus for arms sales since the repression of pro-democracy movements, and subsequent civil wars in the region. Bahrain used UK-made tear gas and armoured vehicles to suppress protests in 2011, and Saudi Arabia is currently using UK and US-made bombs in Yemen where a humanitarian crisis is unfolding with the destruction of homes, hospitals and infrastructure. v

Sometimes, clients become opponents. The UK and US sold military equipment to Saddam Hussein a decade before the Gulf War, and to President Gaddafi before intervening against him in the Libyan civil war. vi When regimes topple, their weapons fall into the hands of non-state groups. ‘Islamic State’ is using machine guns, anti-tank missiles, mortars, and artillery that the UK, US and other producers sold to Iraq. vii This trade is not illicit, but actively promoted by the UK and US governments. How is it validated?

This exhibition explores the etiquette of the arms trade through drawings and artifacts from DSEI, Eurosatory and IDEX.