While world leaders and the international press focus their gaze on the specter of weapons of mass destruction, the conventional arms market quietly does several billion dollars worth of business a year. At tradeshows like Abu Dhabi's International Defense Exhibition, or IDEX, representatives from dozens of countries peruse, examine, and strike deals for a dizzying variety of weapons from assault rifles to tanks, radars to cruise missiles. Even pariah nations such as Iran and Libya do business with their peers without the sanctions generally applied to their activities elsewhere. Buyers and sellers are not the only ones surveying the hundreds of pavilions on site at IDEX. Foreign and local presses report on the most current weapon upgrades and intelligence agents watch the latest armored vehicles go through their paces on the mobility course.

 

Some argue that the weapons bought and sold at IDEX serve to prolong, intensify and escalate conflicts the world over. Others argue transparency in the arms trade promoted by fairs like IDEX creates stability around the world. Arms Bazaar lets the viewer decide by putting him in the middle of the largest conventional arms show in the world.

 

Running Time: 26.46

Technical Specifications: Letterbox