Arms embargoes are “a type of sanctions that can be used to force states and non-governmental actors to improve their behavior in the interests of peace and security international". The ban on military transfers includes: provision of military aid, military cooperation, arms sales and security assistance. This essay aims to examine Dominic Tierney's claim that "multilateral arms embargoes are both easy to introduce and difficult to lift." Before 1990, the UN had only introduced arms embargoes on two occasions: against South Africa and Rhodesia. There have been a total of 25 cases of mandatory UN gun restrictions since 1990, of which 13 are still in force. The EU is the other major embargo impostor with a total of 33 cases and 20 still not lifted. The 1990s, in particular, were characterized by Cortright and Lopez as the "decade of sanctions", during which 50 multilateral sanctions were introduced, with the arms embargo being the most widely used form of sanctions. Therefore statistics suggest that the UN and EU use arms embargoes more frequently. However, little is illustrated about the dynamics involved in issuing and lifting an arms embargo. In the first part this essay proposes that an arms embargo is simple to initiate, mainly because it meets the needs for action in circumstances of conflict and violent repression, and requires minimal political consensus among UN member states. However, the failure of many arms sanctions over the past twenty years could maintain or alter this situation. Furthermore, the second part of this essay will argue, with specific references to EU sanctions against China and Syria, that embargoes are not difficult to remove in themselves, but their removal often… middle of paper… .examining the EU arms embargo on China: the clash between value and logic in European security strategy”, Perspectives. Review of International Affairs (2004) 22 pp. 43-58Moore, Matthew, “Arming the embargoed: a supply-side understanding of arm embargo violations,” Journal of Conflict Resolution (2010) 54 pp. 593-615Niblock, Tim, “Pariah States” & Sanctions in the Middle East (London, 2001) Shambaugh, David, “Lifting the EU Arms Embargo on China: An American Perspective,” discussion paper prepared for the CSIS/SWP conference” China's Rise: Diverging US-EU Approaches and Perceptions,” Berlin, 28-29 April 2005 Tierney, Dominic, “Irrelevant or Malicious? United Nations Arms Embargoes in Civil War”, Review of International Studies, (2005) 31 pp. 645-664Vennesson, Pascal, “Lifting the EUarmembargo on China: symbols and strategy”, Euramerica (2007) 37: 3 pp. 417-444