Limiting the Proliferation
of Ballistic Missiles
Western governments decided in the mid-1980s
that the spread of ballistic and cruise missiles directly threatened
their own security and that of their allies, and that these weapons
were particularly destabilizing. For these reasons, the "Group
of 7" leading economic powers agreed in 1987 to block such
trade through the creation of the Missile
Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Now, nearly 30 governments
have joined the effort, including practically all missile-producing
states.
Ballistic missiles are one of only two
categories of conventional weaponry currently subject to multilateral
export controls (anti-personnel landmines are the other one).
The success of efforts to limit sales and development of missiles
over the past decade demonstrates that multilateral export controls
are possible to achieve once a category of weaponry has been
singled out, and its export effectively stigmatized through government,
media and public pressure. In both the missile and landmine cases,
the United States first unilaterally stopped exports, and then
worked successfully" to convince other exporting governments
to follow suit. Now no government of the world openly sells missiles,
an activity that a decade ago was as common as fighter jet sales
are today.
We have worked over the years in support
of the Missile Technology Control
Regime , and promoted it as a model for limiting exports
of other destabilizing weapon systems (such
as submarines). We have also promoted arms control approaches
to limiting further missile development and to banning missiles
outright.
1. Missile Technology Control Regime
- "The
Missile Technology Control Regime," Lora Lumpe, Ballistic
Missile Defense in Perspective, Joseph Cirincione and Frank
von Hippel, eds., Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers: 1996.
- "An
ACA briefing with … Lora Lumpe," Arms Control
Today, November 1993, 12-13.
- "Third
World Ballistic Missiles: Are the Facts Lost in the Numbers?"
Lora Lumpe, Lisbeth Gronlund, David C. Wright, The Bulletin
of the Atomic Scientists, March 1992, 30-37.
2. Flight Testing Restrictions
- "A
Flight Test Ban as a Tool for Curbing Ballistic Missile Proliferation,"
Lora Lumpe, Space Power Interests, Peter Hayes, eds.,
Westview Press: 1996, 146-182.
- "A
Flight Test Ban as a Tool for Curbing Ballistic Missile Proliferation,"
Lora Lumpe, INESAP-Information Bulletin No. 4, January
1995, 15-18.
3. Zero Ballistic Missiles
- "Arms
Control Options for Delivery Vehicles," Lora Lumpe,
Physics and Society, Vol 24, 2 January 1995, 2-5.
- "Proposal
for a Zero Ballistic Missile Regime," J. Jerome Holton,
Lora Lumpe, and Jeremy J Stone, 1993 Science and International
Security Anthology, AAAS: Washington, 1993, 379-96.
- "Zero
Ballistic Missiles and the Third World," Lora Lumpe,
Arms Control, April 1993, 208-229.
- "Revisiting
Zero Ballistic Missiles-Reagan's Forgotten Dream," F.A.S.
Public Interest Report, May/June 1992.
- "Reagan's
Reykjavik Idea Revisited," Jeremy J. Stone, Los Angeles
Times, 22 March 1992.
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