One less “merchant of death”
Eric Witte March 6th, 2008
Thai officials today arrested notorious Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout on a warrant from the United States, where he is charged for planned weapon sales to the FARC in Colombia. Bout has been one of the most prolific arms merchants in recent years, doing business with warlords and tyrants, and fuelling wars in the Middle East, Balkans, Latin America, Asia, and throughout Africa. Allegedly, he has flown weapons to both the Northern Alliance and the Taliban in Afghanistan. With a dizzying array of front companies and airlines, he was even unwittingly subcontracted to fly supplies for the US in Iraq.
Douglas Farah, co-author of a book about Viktor Bout (”Merchant of Death“) wrote of Bout’s arrest today:
“As I have written before, much of what Bout did, under the current international law, is not illegal, although it is morally repugnant. It is heartening that the new charges involve specific charges of efforts to help the FARC, which is likely to be something that is far less nebulous to prove than breaking U.N. arms embargoes.
Thai officials say he could be brought back to the United States to stand trial. That would be a sight indeed.”
Other traffickers will surely take his place, weapons exporters will have an incentive to turn a blind eye, and such countries as Liechtenstein, the Cayman Islands and Singapore will continue to make establishment of multiple opaque shell companies and secret bank accounts all too easy for traders in illicit, well…anything. Perhaps the arrest of Viktor Bout will bring needed attention to these and other elements of the international system that allow people of Bout’s ilk to profit on bloodshed and misery.
