ABSTRACT
Constructing rules against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is an excellent example of the security-hierarchy paradox. Dealing with this transnational security threat requires some hierarchy: agreed-upon rules in treaty language and Security Council resolutions; global bureaucrats to monitor, inspect, and verify compliance; and enforcement mechanisms for those who fail to comply. To solve this problem we cannot have a world with too little hierarchy where states assert a sovereign right to accumulate whatever weapons they want. Global security requires states to follow certain rules, and preventing WMD proliferation is one of those rules. The United States supports its own interests and the interests of the global community by pursuing hierarchical proliferation rules.
