Sweden must reduce arms exports

Calls for stricter rules on weapons exports have grown more vociferous in Sweden recently. At the beginning of March it emerged that the Swedish Institute for Defence and Security, which is subordinate to the Swedish Ministry of Defence, is involved in plans for the construction of an arms factory in Saudi Arabia. The liberal daily Dagens Nyheter lists the advantages of tougher legislation: "Stricter rules for arms exports would certainly be a major setback for the defence industry, but highly qualified workers can find work elsewhere. And because the defence industry is subsidised, the resources that are freed up could be used for example for research purposes. A simple principle applies here: Sweden should not supply bad regimes with weapons - the Arab Spring has demonstrated what such regimes are capable of doing to their own people."

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