ArTCo

The School of International Studies hosted a 5 days Summer School on the subject of the legal and illegal circulation, detention and use of firearms both in Europe and at the global level and its link to security and development challenges (i.e. extremism, radicalization, terrorism, migration, conflict dynamics, state violence and authoritarian practices in police states, neutrality, the respect of human rights and international humanitarian law).

Topics that were discussed during the Summer School included the meaning of “legal”, “licit” and “lethal” in relation to transnational transfers and markets of small arms and light weapons; the international and European legal framework applicable to the control of arms as well as States and corporate actors’ obligations and responsibilities in this regard; the role of the arms industry in national and European policy-making; the nexus between environmental policies and politics and human rights, on the one side, and weapon production, trade and use, on the other; the role of research and education in raising awareness on arms control among civil society actors.

These topics were discussed by scholars, practitioners and non-governmental organisations (NGO)’ representatives from different angles, making the Summer School particularly attractive for students in the fields of law, international relations, political science and sociology.

As a result, the Summer School featured a multi-disciplinary and “multi-vocal” nature: on the one hand, it brought together experts from different disciplinary backgrounds; on the other, academics’ perspectives were complemented by practitioners, officials, and representatives of the non-governmental sectors.