Armament Research Services have published a new research paper, Analysing the Online Arms Trade in Opposition-controlled Syria. It provides a ‘first-look’ analysis of more than 800 individual trades of small arms, light weapons, munitions, and blank-firing weapons conducted during a three-month period between 1 November 2020 and 31 January 2021. A collaborative effort between affiliates of both ARES and Silah Report the new report lays out a framework for more detailed future work.
The short research paper is intended as the first step in an ongoing hybrid publications approach, which will include monthly digital reporting published on ARES’ Hoplite blog. Once a standard twelve-month monitoring period has been completed and significantly more detailed report will be published. ARES’ Director N.R. Jenzen-Jones said that:
“This hybrid approach to publication will allow us to make public more data than is usually possible, and in a more timely fashion. ARES has worked on online arms sales in Syria for a long time now, but this is the first time we have been able to make significant quantities of data publicly available.”
Fig.1.1. An example of some of the correlated data in the new research (Source: ARES)
Fig.1.2. An example of some of the correlated data in the new research regarding self-loading pistols (Source: ARES)
The report was a collaborative effort between ARES and Silah Report, with Silah Report Collections Specialist Mick F and ARES Associate Researcher Jack Shanley authoring the research note. The researchers were able to access a range of primarily open-source data collected by both organisations. This means that the data is free from use-restrictions and can be shared with the wider research community. The researchers found a variety of items of interest, which they expect will support important trend analysis in the final reporting.
Find out more at armamentresearch.com
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