Writing ⁽²¹⁾

Between domestic legislation, international law and multilateral consensus, a group of about 40 industrialized countries with a thing about signing papers, have made a megalomaniacal dictator’s job difficult – not to mention that of his suppliers. The handful of countries that, after having started two world wars, have learned the recipe for destruction, are doing their best to keep it a secret.

We are capable of looking ourselves in the mirror – Geir Vinghøg, Chairman of the Board at Vinghøg AS, about knowing how and why the export control system works. Most arms producers have an idea of what they are allowed to do, and what requests would be futile to follow up on. Faced with the unlikely, hypothetical question of how he would react if a country in a situation like Israel approached his company with a request to buy equipment, Geir Vinghøg is certain of their chances of making a purchase. “If Israel makes a request, we’ll probably just laugh,”…

Nicholas Marsh with NISAT doesn’t criticize Norwegian arms politics very much. As far as he’s concerned it stands up quite well in international comparison. But nothing is perfect. There are the issues raised by exporting weapons to Turkey, but he realizes that it would be very difficult politically to refuse. “Then there’s also the issue of the 12.7 mm ammunition produced by Nammo,” he says, “which, according to the Red Cross, contravenes a number of international humanitarian laws. Their tests show that it explodes when it hits people.” In war, or so international law says, people should only be shot…

The Scandinavian countries are proud of the image they project to the world. They are peaceful, they fulfill their international duties and they do their best to solve other countries’ problems. Is it a contradiction, then, that Norway and Sweden both host thriving defense industries? “The problem is probably not that there’s too little military equipment in the world,” says Christer Henebäck, information director at Bofors Defence. “The problem is that there’s too much.” In that case, the Scandinavian arms industry might deserve a closer look. According the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI, Norway is the 28th largest exporter…

When New York City's Twin Towers came plunging down on Wall Street, they brought with them the employees and offices of some 280 companies. Six banks, five brokerage houses and three insurance companies had their headquarters in the two skyscrapers, and many more rented prestigious space there. The disaster's effects on the American and global economy were significant, but surprisingly, they were neither unprecedented nor completely devastating.