ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a proposal for a new form of positive security assurance — one which, by its very nature, would produce over time a very strong negative assurance element. The new assurance would also, by looking at all weapons of mass destruction, promote universality of membership for all the treaties controlling weapons of mass destruction. Security assurances come in two forms: negative — in which one state promises that it will not use a certain type of weapon against another; and positive — in which one state promises to another aid if it is attacked with a certain type of weapon. The threat of proliferation of biological and chemical weapons has been percieved as having increased. The reduced usability of all weapons of mass destruction should weaken the conviction of those in the nuclear-weapon states that believe nuclear weapons are needed as a response to biological or chemical weapons.
