Indefensible: Seven Myths that Sustain the Global Arms Trade

Paul Holden

Sep 2016 · Zed Books Ltd.

About this ebook

Although there is often opposition to individual wars, most people continue to believe that the arms industry is necessary in some form: to safeguard our security, provide jobs and stimulate the economy. Not only conservatives, but many progressives and liberals, support it for these reasons.

Indefensible puts forward a devastating challenge to this conventional wisdom, which has normalised the existence of the most savage weapons of mass destruction ever known. It is the essential handbook for those who want to debunk the arguments of the industry and its supporters: deploying case studies, statistics and irrefutable evidence to demonstrate they are fundamentally flawed, both factually and logically.

Far from protecting us, the book shows how the arms trade undermines our security by fanning the flames of war, terrorism and global instability. In countering these myths, the book points to ways in which we can combat the arms trade’s malignant influence, reclaim our democracies and reshape our economies.

About the author

Paul Holden is a historian and researcher. His previous books include Who Rules South Africa? (2012), The Devil in the Detail: How the Arms Deal Changed Everything (2011) and The Arms Deal in Your Pocket (2008). He was also lead researcher on Andrew Feinstein’s book The Shadow World (2012) and on the documentary feature of the same name released in 2016. He currently works as director of investigations at Corruption Watch UK.