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Subject:

Re: Elsevier and the Arms Trade

From:

Duncan Fuller <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Duncan Fuller <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 13:17:42 -0000

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (441 lines)

A response from someone at Elsevier, generated through a request for info re
a book I'm (currently still) involved in....

Thoughts?

D

Thanks for your query about Elsevier's involvement in defence exhibitions.
Although it's taken a couple of days for me to obtain an answer for you, I'm
pleased to send you this explanation. As well as publishing print and
electronic information products, Reed Elsevier has a subsidiary called Reed
Exhibitions Ltd. which organizes almost 500 exhibitions each year in a large
range of different business sectors, including aerospace and defence. These
exhibitions are intended for legitimate organisations involved in aerospace,
defence, homeland security, peacekeeping and humanitarian relief.  What is
more, I am assured that all these exhibitions are managed strictly in
compliance with domestic and international law and meet all regulatory
requirements. 

 

As many people are misinformed about the nature of the exhibition, I just
wanted to give you some basic facts regarding DSEi. Often DSEi is regarded
as 'an arms fair', but we would like to clarify that this not the case; it
is an exhibition. This is an important distinction to make in that no
weapons or other equipment may be bought or sold at this event.

 

The DSEi exhibition covers a range of equipment, not just weapons. For
example, in 2005 at DSEi there were 1200 exhibitors, of this number:

 

- 16% represented disaster relief programs

 

- 7% were involved in peacekeeping and humanitarian services

 

- 19% were involved in homeland security

 

There are many examples of equipment on exhibit that are crucial to efforts
in peace support and life-saving activities, such as air ambulances,
emergency medical complexes, surveillance systems, fire control equipment,
or for search, rescue and survival. I list these to ensure you that the
exhibit, is not simply about weapons. In fact less than 4% of the exhibitors
displayed weapons. 

 

Also, I just want to mention here that all the invitations for the
exhibitions are sent out by the UK Ministry of Defence and that all the
exhibitors have to comply with UK laws such as the Export Control Act and
the Trade in Controlled Goods Order. Anything exhibited is highly regulated
as well, and needs to comply with UK, EU and UN law. At Elsevier we feel
that Defence equipment should be exhibited in an open and transparent
manner, in a tightly regulated environment, which is precisely the type of
forum  DSEi provides for the industry.

 

Reed Elsevier is committed to human rights and upholding international
humanitarian law. And Elsevier, as a publisher, believes in freedom of
speech and open debate. We simply want to ensure that the debate is an
educated one, based on relevant facts and figures. We support an open
discussion on this so that people can base decisions and opinions on correct
information and are happy to answer any additional questions you may have on
this topic or other topics that concern or interest you regarding Elsevier
or Reed Elsevier.

 

Yours Sincerely,


-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for critical and radical geographers
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dave Featherstone
Sent: 11 March 2006 19:32
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Elsevier and the Arms Trade

Dear James,

Thankyou for your response and raising these concerns...

I agree that it is important to consider the impacts of particular kinds of
action- I think in this case the most useful form of action would be for
editorial boards etc to express their collective disapproval of Elsevier's
links with the arms trade...

I also agree that there is pressure on journal editors to produce timely
reviews, and that it would be important to consider the effects of any
action
in exacerbating this position... However, I do think it also has to be
considered that publishing companies like Elsevier do make a lot of money on
a
system which is based on the unpaid labour of academics and others who
referee
papers. While I and others are committed to doing such labour and for it to
continue being unpaid I think it is important that publishing companies
recognise that this labour comes with conditions. One of those conditions is
that the ethics of the companies we do this work for should broadly reflect
the
ethics/ values of those who do this work and those who publish in journals
like
Political Geography and Geoforum - I think active involvement in the arms
trade,
and the aggressive promotion of arms through the Arms Fairs Reed Elsevier
promotes is a clear breach of such conditions...

best,

Dave




Quoting James D Sidaway <[log in to unmask]>:

> Thanks to Dave Featherstone and Paul Chatterton for raising this.
>
> But please do consider that if you do decide that because of these
concerns
> (which of course do need to be discussed and raised with the publishers!)
> you feel unable to referee papers for particular journals, this has direct
> consequences for many colleagues and much academic work...it is already
> frequently very difficult to find willing referees able to produce
> relatively timely reviews for many submissions to journals.
>
> There are many reasons for this (time pressures, increased submissions for
> many journals, relative lack of recognition of the importance of such
> unpaid scholarly labour in promotion, tenure and 'research assessment'),
> but the resulting delays for authors can be deeply frustrating...we do
need
> to continue support each others scholarship.
> --
> James D Sidaway
> Reader in Globalization
> Department of Geography
> Loughborough University
> Leicestershire LT11 3TU, UK
>
> Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network:
> http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/
>
> Associate Editor Political Geography
> http://www.politicalgeography.com
>
> Co-Editor Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography:
> http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0129-7619
>
>
>
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Wed, 8 Mar 2006 13:02:05 +0000
> > From:    Dave Featherstone <[log in to unmask]>
> > Subject: Elsevier and the Arms Trade
> >
> > Dear all,
> >
> > Elsevier, one of the key publishers in geography, which publishes key
> > journals such as:
> >
> > Geoforum
> >
> > Geographical Abstracts: Human Geography
> >
> > Geographical Abstracts: Physical Geography
> >
> > Political Geography
> >
> > Applied Geography
> >
> > and major forthcoming projects such as The International Encyclopedia of
> > Human Geography
> >
> > (as well as many other journals and books)
> >
> > has major involvement in the arms trade.
> >
> > It is a little known fact that the giant information company Reed
> > Elsevier - famous for its work in education, science and health
> > publications, as well as massive web-based services such as the
> > LexisNexis Total Research System used by academics and legal
> > professionals - also plays a significant role in the arms trade.
> >
> > Through its subsidiary companies, Reed Exhibitions and Spearhead
> > Exhibitions, Reed Elsevier is responsible for organising arms fairs in
> > several countries across the world, as well as here in the UK. These
> > include DSEi in London and Latin America Aero and Defence. Dsei will be
> > happening again in London in 2007.
> >
> > For many customers and shareholders of Reed Elsevier, convinced of the
> > company's good reputation and ethical stance, this has come as a rather
> > unpalatable surprise. In September 2005 The Lancet, arguably the world's
> > most prestigious medical journal and owned by Reed Elsevier, published a
> > letter signed by public healthcare professionals from five continents.
> > The letter highlighted the surprising involvement of The Lancet's
> > publisher in the global arms trade, and prompted The Lancet's editorial
> > board itself to issue a scathing condemnation of Reed Elsevier in the
> > same issue, calling upon the company 'to divest itself of all business
> > interests that threaten human, and especially civilian, health and
> > well-being'. There are links below which detail Elsevier's links with
> > the arm trade in more depth.
> >
> > As Elsevier is the publisher of journals that are so central to the
> > discipline it seems appropriate that those working in geography should
> > follow the lead of the Lancet and to condemn the involvement of Elsevier
> > in the arms trade.
> >
> > There is plenty of scope for individual action... But it might be worth
> > trying to put together some broader response- eg from editorial boards
> > of Elsevier journals, or for other forms of collective response - such
> > as refusing to publish/ referee for Elsevier until they distance
> > themselves from the arms trade...
> >
> > best,
> >
> > Dave Featherstone and Paul Chatterton
> >
> >
> > http://www.caat.org.uk/armsfairs/reed.php
> > (info and campaign website)
> >
> > http://www.sgr.org.uk/ArmsControl/letter_lancet_10sep05.htm
> > (an article published in the Lancet - owned by Elsevier)
> >
> > http://www.caat.org.uk/caatnews/2005_12/reed-campaign.php
> > (campaign website)
> >
> > http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=2008
> > (report on elsevier)[log in to unmask]
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Wed, 8 Mar 2006 13:19:14 -0000
> > From:    Graeme Ford <[log in to unmask]>
> > Subject: Re: Elsevier and the Arms Trade
> >
> > no wonder my friend who works for elsevier is having trouble getting a
> > position at various charities!
> >
> > Graeme
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Wed, 8 Mar 2006 13:31:58 +0000
> > From:    Cara Aitchison <[log in to unmask]>
> > Subject: Re: Elsevier and the Arms Trade
> >
> > This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
> >
> > ------_=_NextPart_001_01C642B5.552B2B2F
> > Content-Type: text/plain;
> >   charset="utf-8"
> > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
> > X-NAIMIME-Disclaimer: 1
> > X-NAIMIME-Modified: 1
> >
> > Dear all,
> > =20
> > This has serious implications not just for geographers but also for the
> > g=
> > rowing number of academics working in tourism studies. Elsevier has
> > becom=
> > e one of our main publishers and so I'm passing this 'news' on to
> > tourism=
> >  colleagues working outside or at the margins of geography so that they
> > c=
> > an review the listed web sites.=20
> > =20
> > Thanks for drawing this to our attention.
> > =20
> > Cara
> > =20
> >
> > Professor Cara Aitchison
> >
> > =20
> >
> > Cara Aitchison=20
> >
> > Professor in Human Geography
> >
> > School of Geography and Environmental Management
> >
> > Faculty of the Built Environment
> >
> > University of the West of England
> >
> > Frenchay Campus
> >
> > Coldharbour Lane
> >
> > Bristol BS16 1QY
> >
> > UK
> >
> > Tel. +44 (0)117 328 1336
> >
> > Email [log in to unmask]
> >
> > =20
> >
> > =20
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > From: A forum for critical and radical geographers on behalf of Dave
> > Feat=
> > herstone
> > Sent: Wed 08/03/2006 13:02
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Elsevier and the Arms Trade
> >
> >
> >
> > Dear all,
> >
> > Elsevier, one of the key publishers in geography, which publishes key
> > journals such as:
> >
> > Geoforum
> >
> > Geographical Abstracts: Human Geography
> >
> > Geographical Abstracts: Physical Geography
> >
> > Political Geography
> >
> > Applied Geography
> >
> > and major forthcoming projects such as The International Encyclopedia of
> > Human Geography
> >
> > (as well as many other journals and books)
> >
> > has major involvement in the arms trade.
> >
> > It is a little known fact that the giant information company Reed
> > Elsevier - famous for its work in education, science and health
> > publications, as well as massive web-based services such as the
> > LexisNexis Total Research System used by academics and legal
> > professionals - also plays a significant role in the arms trade.
> >
> > Through its subsidiary companies, Reed Exhibitions and Spearhead
> > Exhibitions, Reed Elsevier is responsible for organising arms fairs in
> > several countries across the world, as well as here in the UK. These
> > include DSEi in London and Latin America Aero and Defence. Dsei will be
> > happening again in London in 2007.
> >
> > For many customers and shareholders of Reed Elsevier, convinced of the
> > company's good reputation and ethical stance, this has come as a rather
> > unpalatable surprise. In September 2005 The Lancet, arguably the world's
> > most prestigious medical journal and owned by Reed Elsevier, published a
> > letter signed by public healthcare professionals from five continents.
> > The letter highlighted the surprising involvement of The Lancet's
> > publisher in the global arms trade, and prompted The Lancet's editorial
> > board itself to issue a scathing condemnation of Reed Elsevier in the
> > same issue, calling upon the company 'to divest itself of all business
> > interests that threaten human, and especially civilian, health and
> > well-being'. There are links below which detail Elsevier's links with
> > the arm trade in more depth.
> >
> > As Elsevier is the publisher of journals that are so central to the
> > discipline it seems appropriate that those working in geography should
> > follow the lead of the Lancet and to condemn the involvement of Elsevier
> > in the arms trade.
> >
> > There is plenty of scope for individual action... But it might be worth
> > trying to put together some broader response- eg from editorial boards
> > of Elsevier journals, or for other forms of collective response - such
> > as refusing to publish/ referee for Elsevier until they distance
> > themselves from the arms trade...
> >
> > best,
> >
> > Dave Featherstone and Paul Chatterton
> >
> >
> > http://www.caat.org.uk/armsfairs/reed.php
> > (info and campaign website)
> >
> > http://www.sgr.org.uk/ArmsControl/letter_lancet_10sep05.htm
> > (an article published in the Lancet - owned by Elsevier)
> >
> > http://www.caat.org.uk/caatnews/2005_12/reed-campaign.php
> > (campaign website)
> >
> > http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3D2008
> > (report on elsevier)[log in to unmask]
> >
> > > > Trinity College
> > > Dublin 2
> > > Office: +353 (0)1 608 2865
> > > Mobile: + 353 (0)87 138 6851
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Quoting Graeme Ford <[log in to unmask]>:
> > >
> > > > does anyone know if any other publishers have these 'outside'
> > > interests?
> > > > Blackwells? TandF?
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > *******************************************************************
> >
>

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