The November 2 conviction of Viktor Bout means that one the world’s most infamous alleged arms traffickers will likely remain behind bars for some time. As Control Arms highlighted before the trial, however, the circuitous route the United States took to bring him to court only reinforces the need for a comprehensive Arms Trade Treaty. It would be far better if all countries adopted tough brokering laws as part of an ATT, so that suspected traffickers could be tried in a loophole-free system, rather than today’s loophole-ridden one.
That point has been made by a number of commenters. Please see the following articles:
Tough to Prosecute Arms Dealers Without Laws
Viktor Bout Convicted of Terrorism Conspiracy Charges—not Arms Trafficking—and Why it Matters
