Strategic trade controls-particularly export controls-are important instruments available for 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 course will broadly focus on three 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.