ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses a number of co-operative measures which do not involve on-site inspection, but which nevertheless add significantly to the effectiveness of the compliance process. In contrast, the analysis of on-site inspection shows that it has serious political and technical limitations which make its utility considerably more dubious than many in the West appreciate. The most important of the intentional violations is, of course, the first one on the list: the attempt to gain a military edge or ‘break-out’ by clandestine violation of the treaty. In order to be effective such violations must be of substantial military significance and must be kept secret until the time when the new capability is to be employed. There is no more critical point in the entire process of verification than the boundary at which the technology of detection encounters the politics of evaluation and response.
