Fostering cooperation in nonproliferation activities

• Main Author: Bock, Jason J.
• Other Authors: Knopf, Jeffrey
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/3068

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === One of the greatest dangers the United States faces in the 21st century is the possible use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by a terrorist organization. The U.S. plan to combat WMD relies on both counterproliferation and nonproliferation activities. Since transnational terrorist groups operate across numerous states, these efforts require a broad multilateral effort to be successful. Therefore, there is a strong incentive to increase global participation in nonproliferation and counterproliferation activities. Understanding the conditions under which states will participate in these endeavors is vital to expanding state participation and denying terrorist access to WMD. This thesis used both statistical and case study analysis to examine five variables which might positively influence international cooperation in the following nonproliferation/counterproliferation activities: the Proliferation Security Initiative, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, and the Global Threat Reduction Initiative. The five variables were security assistance, alliances, international organizations, domestic politics, and economic freedom. The findings supported the importance of international institutions and the role domestic politics play in a state's decision to cooperate. In order to increase international cooperation in these programs, the U.S. should formally link the programs to an international organization and invest more resources in positively influencing foreign domestic populations.