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...hat would illegally divert weapons from legitimate arm transfers to Liberia, then under a strict UN arms embargo. Those arms were then purportedly shipping to Sierra Leone, where they were delivered to Foday Sankoh, head of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel group with ties to then Liberian president Charles Taylor. The RUF had been responsible for some of the worst atrocities in Sierra Leone’s decade long civil war and Foday Sankoh had been indicated by the United Nations for crimes against humanity. The case of Leonid Minin-which will be discussed at greatear lengths throughout this paper-can be seen as an illustration of the growing threat to local, regional, and international security/stability, resulting from both black market and grey market transfers of arms-particularly from former Soviet states-to areas of intense conflict and high rates of terrorist activity. While the primary motivation for much of these arms transfers has not been ideological, but rather based purely upon profit, their effects upon the area in which they are transported have been devastating. In much of West Africa, and especially in the Great Lakes Region, SALW have led to both civil and intra-state wars, and more notably, the prolongation of conflict in already war-torn states. Also, in a post September 11th world where terrorism has become such as imminent threat, arms trafficking has helped to foment terrorists’ ability to strike anywhere. The issue of arms trafficking can be seen as part of the larger phenomenon resulting from both globalization and the end of the Cold War: the explosion in the transational organized crime groups and the rampant corruption of government officials. This is especially true in the former Soviet bloc countries, where both groups have continually exploited the chaos resulting from the transition from Communism, as well as the lack of resources necessary to combat this pernicious activity, all in order to garner huge profit and political control. The purpose of this paper is three0fold. First, it will look at the issue of arms trafficking, especially the trafficking of small arms and light weaponry (SALW), as part of a worldwide phenomenon which has exploded since the end of the Cold War. Secondly, there will be an examination of the rise in arms trafficking, seen in the context of post-Soviet Eastern and Central Europe. Emphasis will be placed on three factors: the huge stockpile of weapons left over at the end of the Cold War, the need for hard currency in economies that have been ravaged in the transition from Communism, and the inability and often complicit behavior of governments failing to guard arms trafficking. Because of the wealth of areas in which this topic cover, a case study of Ukraine will be used in order to illustrate some of the overall trends in arms trafficking within the former Soviet Union. Finally, this paper will look at the activities of one of the most infamous arms traffickers over the last decade: Leonid Minin. The case of Minin is an illustration not only of the complex network which traffickers operate in, but also the difficulties in prosecuting arms traffickers resulting from non-cooperation by countries like Ukraine. A Brief Note on SALW vs. Nuclear Weapons Since the horrific events of September 11, 2001, the United States has focused its efforts largely upon stemming the tide of weapons of mass destruction. However, it has become increasingl...