One of the few up-to-date works on the whole of the arms trade, this book puts the global trade in weapons in the context of history and includes recent controversial deals, as well as case studies on Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Darfur. It exposes the cynicism, bribery, and insider deals that characterize the conventional trade and the hidden world of torture.

Nicholas Gilby led the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) in its efforts to expose the corruption at the heart of Britain's arms deals with Saudi Arabia over the past four decades. In 2008, he forced the disclosure of many documents concerning corruption in Britain's arms deals with Saudi Arabia.