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60th anniversary of the Kalashnikov

July 9, 2007 at 14:28
filed under rant, read
Tagged books, history

This past week marked the 60th anniversary of the most widespread weapon in the world: the AK-47

The AK-47 was named after its creator — the acronym stands for ‘Avtomat Kalashnikova’ or ‘Kalashnikov’s automatic weapon’ — and 1947, the year the first experimental versions went into production.

Although I am not a fan of weapons in general, this particular assault riffle is as much an icon as it is a weapon. Appreciated by fighters for its simplicity and its reliance, it also became a symbol of revolutions and of some of the most sordid images we’ve witnessed since its creation, amongst which, African child soldiers.

The AK has shifted the balance of power in warfare by allowing small, determined factions, not just armies, to overthrow entire governments. For example, Charles Taylor proved this in 1989 when he an a rag-tage cadre of 100 men, mainly armed with AKs, stormed the presidential palace in Liberia and controlled the country to the next 6 years. By issuing AKs to anyone who swore allegience to his his regime, Taylor stayed in power with gangs of thug soldiers – and child soldiers – all of whom were allowed to pillage their defeated enemies as payment for their loyalty. The other main impact is that cheap AKs and keep small, hot regional wars going on for years longer than they would have without the continued supply of cheap weapons.

This is an excerpt from Larry Kahaner’s book about the AK-47 which has been recommended to me for an interesting read on the weapon’s involvement in world history. One must only read Spiegel‘s Kalashnikov Index January article to understand how the weapon is still very much at the center of current conflicts, notably Iraq. Foreign Policy breaks down the numbers behind the AK-47 and why the Iraqi army has made it its weapon of choice.

The ubiquitous Kalashnikov – over 100 million have been sold world wide – has had such a cultural influence it is even found on some flags, including Mozambique’s flag.

You can also check out this piece from Russia Today for how they covered the story:

Favoured by everyone from Rambo to Osama Bin Laden, the Kalashnikov assault rifle, reputedly the worlds most reliable weapon…