In January 2012, the Small Amis Sun/ey initiated a three year research project on small arnns and insecurity in Libya, North Africa, and the broader Middle East. The project's objective is to provide evidence-based and reliable analysis on critical aspects of the prolifération of small amns, insecurity, and armed violence in the région. It envisions tiie publication of three to four in depth studies per year on topics of particular relevance to policy-makers and practitioners, the création of a dedicated website, the generating and updating of online content, and coordinated outreach efforts.