Sweden's Smart Idea for Reducing Global Killing

Sweden is about to take a bold step: Its government wants to be the first in the world to impose legislative curbs on selling weapons to undemocratic regimes. If other big arms exporters did the same, fewer people would die in senseless wars.

Sweden is the 12th biggest arms exporter in the world, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, with 2016 exports worth $1.2 billion. Many in the country's powerful civil society have long protested against sales to repressive regimes, especially Saudi Arabia. Since 2014, when the current coalition government came to power, the Greens, who are a junior partner, have pushed for a "democracy clause" in arms exports. The government promises to submit the legislation to parliament on Thursday. There, it's expected to pass easily.