THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN NUCLEAR EXPORT CONTROL AND INTERNATIONAL SAFEGUARDS: OPPORTUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN THE NONPROLIFERATION REGIME

The Intersection Between Nuclear Export Control and International Safeguards: Opportunities to Strengthen the Nonproliferation Regime Lawrence Scheinman and Danielle Peterson Monterey Institute for International Studies Washington, DC Abstract International safeguards and export control are processes by which to implement oversight on the transfer and use of nuclear materials, technology and equipment. Export controls apply to transactions among states, while comprehensive international safeguards apply to transfers of nuclear material between states and to all nuclear activities within NPT states. The two mechanisms perform their roles more or less in a chain, together composing a front- and back-end system, with regulation of initial transfers being the work of state administered export controls, while that of end use falls in line with the work of international safeguards. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) gave a renewed meaning to the idea that international nonproliferation efforts should be integrated in approach, particularly relating to the security and control of materials, technologies, and equipment with applications to weapons of mass destruction. In terms of nuclear nonproliferation, Resolution 1540 is explicit in its call for states to maintain adequate domestic safeguards and export control on nuclear materials, technology and equipment, thus recognizing that national and international safeguards and export controls are critically important to promoting and achieving nonproliferation goals. There is a certain synergistic relationship between safeguards and export control but much more can be done to develop this relationship. By introducing issues such as the exchange and sharing of information; long-term end-user verification; technology retransfer; supplier and producer evaluations, exports to and imports from non-NPT and non-NSG states; technical cooperation, among others, this paper identifies the intersections between the safeguards and export control regimes and presents some ideas on how greater integration may be achieved.