Coordinate with allies to adopt a common stance.
Reduce “they’ll just buy elsewhere” loopholes by aligning guardrails across key exporting democracies. Focus on shared criteria, coordinated commitments, and stronger treaty-adjacent implementation so restrictions become harder to evade. This is diplomacy-heavy and incremental, but it can close gaps that undermine unilateral U.S. action.
Why this works
- Presents a united ethical front and closes gaps (Saudi can’t just switch from U.S.
- to European weapons if both cooperate).
- Peer pressure among democracies can help; some European parliaments have more stringent views (German Parliament has blocked arms to Saudi since Khashoggi).
Public Citizen
AdvocacyChampioning consumer rights and accountable government
Mechanism
About LobbyingHow Public Citizen uses funding
- Identify which allies and institutions are most relevant to a shared guardrails stance.
- Define the common criteria and the commitments each government can plausibly adopt.
- Engage diplomatic and civil-society channels to build a coordinated “do-not-sell” posture.
- Track implementation signals and highlight gaps when commercial incentives override commitments.
- Iterate commitments and broaden alignment as more partners join or standards tighten.
Milestones
Checkpoints and the expected timing for each step
- 1
Alignment targets and criteria defined
Near-termPriority partners and a shared criteria framework are documented.
- 2
Initial coordinated commitment advanced
During a relevant diplomatic windowPartners make a public or operational commitment to a shared guardrails stance.
- 3
Implementation tracking established
Post-commitmentRepeatable signals track whether aligned standards are used in export decisions.
- 4
Expansion and iteration plan set
OngoingA plan exists to broaden participation and tighten criteria over time.