Elsevier and the Arms Trade

Up until today, when I thought of Elsevier, I associated the name with books, in particular scientific journals and publications. However, Tom Stafford points out that the Reed-Elsevier Group also includes Spearhead Exhibitions Ltd. Amongst the variety of exhibitions that it is responsible for is something nasty in the woodshed: the DSEi arms fair – the largest arms fair in the world.

 

As Tom points out, organising international arms fairs seems totally at odds with Reed-Elsevier’s expressed aim to play ‘a positive role in our local and global communities’ (2003’s ‘Reed Elsevier Cares’ programme).