ABSTRACT
Contrary to the commonplace view that security problems only become more elusive over time, a growing consensus has emerged about the nature of missile proliferation. In this sense, missile proliferation can be described as a mature policy issue. A mature policy issue is characterized by a narrowing of the discussion, reflecting a consensus over intellectual and policy approaches. Missile proliferators can be divided into three categories, depending mostly on their technical capabilities: those with substantial indigenous technical resources capable of creating their own strategic missile forces, those with sufficient resources to conduct rocketry development but only with large-scale foreign help, and those dependent on foreign suppliers for entire missile systems. Measuring a nation's weapons almost always has proven easier titan determining what it can do with them, much less what it will do. The problem is an old one in international security, far older than missile proliferation.
