And it was only recently that his name became familiar in the United States, following press reports of his role in arming the Taliban regime in Afghanistan five years ago. If not for this link to Afghanistan, it is probable that Bout would still be a low-profile character in the clandestine world of illicit arms trading.
That accusation and the heat it generated in the media eventually flushed Bout into the open. From the apparent safe haven of Moscow, he gave CNN and the Associated Press, among others, on-the-record, on-camera interviews rebutting the allegations against him. The case of Victor Bout personifies the exceedingly difficult task of keeping small arms out of the world's bloodiest and most destabilizing conflicts. Perhaps most striking is the fact that while Bout has been accused by U.
Since the U. Using the diplomatic prestige of the United Nations, they publicize the results of their international detective work, hoping the bad publicity will prod governments into action. Media coverage has been vital to that effort, and coverage has increased with the release of each new U. The story is huge. It spans several continents and involves a large network of shady individuals, front companies and government officials; clunky old Soviet cargo planes; corrupt African bureaucrats and thieving East European military officials.
An in-depth examination of the media's coverage of one of these arms dealers --Victor Bout -- from an obscure aviation company owner, known only to arms control activists, to a "businessman" helping Angolan UNITA rebels rearm, and finally into the leader of what some officials are now calling "the world's largest arms-smuggling network" -- shows how international priorities are changing following September In fact, intelligence sources close to the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda associates say they are beginning to turn their attention to clandestine arms traffic as a way to learn what the terrorist network and its allies are up to.
Embargo Busting "Landing heavy cargo planes with illicit cargoes in war conditions and breaking international embargoes such as the one on Angola requires more than individual effort.
It takes an internationally organized network of individuals, well funded, well connected and well versed in brokering and logistics, with the ability to move illicit cargo around the world without raising the suspicions of the law or with the ability to deal with obstacles. One organization, headed, or at least to all appearances outwardly controlled by an Eastern European, Victor Bout, is such an organization.
Angola Report, December 21, Little was known publicly about Bout before he became a regular international media item, commonly called "the elusive Victor Bout. Taliban officials impounded "odd tons of AK small arms ammunition" meant for government forces in Kabul.
At the time, the Taliban had captured 10 provincial capitals, but had not yet taken Kabul, and little more was heard about the event until after September And two years later in March , the U.
Observer wrote about a British pilot regularly violating the arms embargo against Sudan, who had used the "services of former KGB major Viktor Bout, whose fleet of Antonov aircraft has been delivering arms to African war zones for many years. The civil war that followed Angola's independence in is one of the oldest and most intractable in Africa, leaving up to 1.
It is a conflict now largely fought over territory, diamonds and other valuable resources, and prolonged by illicit arms imports. Blood Diamonds. It detailed how, in many regions in Africa, civil conflicts have turned into turf battles over diamond-mining territory. The proceeds from the diamonds are then used to buy illicit weapons and deepen the conflicts. Many human rights activists and organizations have been working for years to eliminate these so-called "blood diamonds" from international markets.
A combination of the Angola Report, media coverage of the trade and the sordid story of arms merchant Victor Bout has elevated its position on the international agenda. Bout is often mentioned in the press as being "paid in diamonds" although there appears to be no hard evidence for this. Part of what makes Bout so hard to pin down is that he creates layers of companies and individuals between himself and any alleged criminal activities.
That exposure drew a lot of scrutiny. But U. And Viktor was high profile. Whether he was deserving of that high profile is another question. The film does not provide a definitive answer, but it does leave the impression that Bout is hardly the leading kingpin in this industry. Among the most famous examples is the Iran-Contra scandal of the mids, when officials in the Reagan Administration used shady middlemen to make secret arms shipments to Iran — in violation of a U.
The expediters in this business — including Bout and al-Kasser — often used their planes to carry not just guns but legal cargo into conflict zones for U. For his part, Bout rejects all of the prevailing depictions of himself, apparently including some of the ones to be found in his own home movies. Nor does the character played by Nicolas Cage in Lord of War , which Bout and his wife watched together before his arrest.
That denial ran so deep that he used a camcorder to film himself doing it, and stashed the tapes in shopping bags beside his desk. Contact us at letters time. World russia Merchant of Death? We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. This website uses cookies to personalize your content including ads , and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
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