Ups and Down of Arms Trade Treaty: From Its Conclusion to Implementation: A Comparative Study with General Rules of International Law

On April 2 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, by a large majority, the Arms Trade Treaty(ATT); a treaty focusing on conventional weapons, with the aim of taking a step forward not only in regulating the arms trade but also in dealing with its related challenges. As trade in conventional arms touches on many complex legal and policy issues related to commerce, national security, human rights and humanitarian law, it is expected that the ATT would be also able to deal with most of these sensitive and challenging matters. In order to evaluate its achievements and possible impact, this article starts by reviewing the international arrangements and regulations, which existed before the conclusion of the ATT. Based on this study, and through a critical structural analysis of the newly adopted treaty, its strengths and the deficiencies will be studied. The ATT came into force on December 24 2014. While the Islamic Republic of Iran is not yet a party to this treaty, the treaty has important implications for the national security of all states even non-members.