Introduction

Since the demise of the Soviet Union and subsequent end of the Cold War, government and scholarly communities have increasingly paid attention to the potential proliferation threat emanating from the former Soviet region.3 Almost overnight, the massive military-industrial assets of the Soviet Union came under the jurisdiction of fifteen fledgling states instead of one established government. Who would inherit and control the stockpile of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the associated materials, equipment, technology, and expertise posed problems for the security relations of both the newly independent states (NIS) and the globe. Of special concern was how to construct export controls for military and dualuse items (goods, services and technologies with both military and commercial applications) that would reduce the risk of proliferation.