ABSTRACT
Wilton Park developed an international reputation as a site where politicians, officials from national and international agencies, government departments, and academia from countries with strongly divergent views were able to meet. Participation from the US, the Russian Federation, China, North Korea, Israel, many Arab states, India and Pakistan further demonstrates this diversity. Initially, arms control and non-proliferation efforts involved building large, elaborate, single-purpose treaties and associated institutions to try to control the behaviour of states. These treaties were overwhelmingly security-oriented; although they typically included provisions designed to encourage the peaceful applications of the technology. After the turn of the millennium, particularly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the threat of terrorism became increasingly linked with weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and public support for anti-terrorism efforts became increasingly important. Confidence was regarded as particularly central to successful arms control efforts as is the need to ensure that the implementation of related agreements actually occurs. The evolution of modern technologies (either to assist with or to evade detection of non-compliance or compliance) was regarded as particularly critical to building confidence. This chapter will consider these challenges with particular reference to WMD, specifically chemical and biological weapons (CBW) and nuclear weapons.
