Case Studies: Introduction

A comprehensive approach toward curbing WMD proliferation must incorporate strategies for preventing the use of existing WMD possessed by various countries. It would also include strategies for freezing and reducing existing WMD arsenals and for slowing the spread, or proliferation, of WMD to additional countries and terrorist organizations.

WMD 411 explores ways of curbing WMD proliferation through the following case studies:

• U.S.-Soviet/Russian agreements to reduce both countries' nuclear arsenals under START and SORT;
• an examination of the issues involved in the formulation and implementation of U.S. Nuclear Posture Reviews;
• the pros and cons of U.S. Ballistic Missile Defenses and missile defense programs across the globe;
• an overview of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and efforts to bring the treaty into force;
• a discussion of efforts to add verification and enforcement provisions to the Biological Weapons Convention; and
• a review of the key provisions and implementation challenges of the Chemical Weapons Convention.