This course surveys the issues surrounding the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and ballistic missiles. It also provides an introduction to nuclear and radiological terrorism, and an overview of the international nonproliferation regime.



The course is divided into three main parts: Part 1 provides an overview of the trends and technologies of WMD proliferation. Part 2 considers the nonproliferation regime in detail, concentrating on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the conventions banning chemical and biological weapons, supplier regimes and export controls, and verification and compliance issues. Part 3 returns to challenges to the nonproliferation regime, including states of proliferation concern known or believed to be developing WMD outside or in defiance of the NPT, CWC, and BWC and tensions within the nonproliferation regime, and discusses the range of international, multilateral, and unilateral responses to these challenges