"So there's a big question mark,". "Who is responsible for such a heavy increase of production and export of the narcotics, because all of the areas where this cultivation is underway are controlled by NATO forces in one way or other?" Akhonzadeh said this reality cannot be ignored and called for new ideas,strategies and methods to tackle the problems of Afghanistan.

VOA: standard.2009.03.27

Responding to the debate, Business Minister Mark Prisk defended the UK's arms export regime, describing it as "one of the most rigorous in the world".

BBC: Debate on arms export controls

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, points out that export-related manufacturing, in particular, is highly productive and therefore less prone to mass hiring.

ECONOMIST: Exports and the economy