Strategic trade controls -- which include export, brokering, transshipment and transit controls, as well as supply chain security issues -- are important tools in international nonproliferation efforts. These controls when used effectively can raise the cost of WMD acquisitions, prolong the time needed for development, and deny proliferant actors easy access to items and technologies necessary for WMD programs.

This seminar will focus on four important issues. One is how states balance between the pursuit of wealth and security. Second is the issue of cooperation among states on nonproliferation-related trade controls in light of a globalized economy. The third is the effectiveness of strategic trade controls as instruments in supporting nonproliferation objectives given the changing nature of technology and the global trade environment. The theoretical debate on these issues continues to revolve around the question of how states initiate, implement, and sustain international cooperation against the competing pressures of trade, domestic politics, and national security. Finally, the course will engage trade control practitioners from government agencies and industry as guest speakers and facilitators in order to fully understand how the issues surrounding strategic trade control impact the trade and security communities in today’s changing world.