Global Control System: Too Comprehensive?

Publication Date: April 2001

Publisher: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Author(s): Alexander Pikayev

Research Area: Military and defense

Type: Report

Abstract:

In 1998 missile launches by North Korea and Iran dramatically demonstrated the inadequacy of the international missile non-proliferation regime. Since 1987 it has been mainly focused on the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), established by the seven largest industrially developed nations. The MTCR is a supply side informal export control regime, which sets guidelines for member states to be used for making national export control legislation compatible to the Regime. Besides that, the MTCR limits missile developments by some member states - according to the US policy, no country except Russia and China could become members of the Regime if they possessed missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers. In 1998 an exception was made for Ukraine, which while joining the Regime maintained the right to possess missiles with a range between 300 to 500 kilometers.