Weapons of mass destruction

Multilateral arrangements to regulate the development, stockpiling,

transfer and use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) – nuclear,

chemical and biological weapons – are under sustained challenge. This

challenge has brought into doubt some of the foundations of conven-

tional arms control, the bargaining process amongst states which seeks

to balance strengths and interests. At the heart of this challenge lies

the military preeminence and ideology of the US, changing strategic

demands, technological developments, arms control verification and enforcement loopholes, and the erosion of the norm of nuclear non-

proliferation. This chapter examines the impact of these factors upon

the regulation of WMD and evaluates the extent of the challenge to

multilateralism in this area.