The diversion to military programmes of materials and technologies obtained from foreign suppliers for peaceful purposes has played a prominent role in the known cases of nuclear proliferation. The need to strengthen nuclear export controls has been identified by the G8 group of industrialized states and the European Union. This study examines the structure and activities of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as an ad hoc group of 44 states committed to applying effective controls on the export of nuclear-related dual-use equipment and material.
In this context, the study raises the...

After a decade of unprecedented expansion, the level of world military spending is now falling, although modestly. Political developments in Europe and the success of arms control negotiations raise hopes for further reductions, however performance has not matched up to the promises, and formidable obstacles to limitations on defense spending still remain. This study analyses world military expenditures at the end of the 1980s and discusses its political and economic implications, paying special attention to recent events and the process of change that characterizes world military expenditure...

This study is a comparative analysis of the arms procurement decision-making processes in five countries. It examines whether or not national arms procurement processes, even as they involve sensitive security issues and complex systems, can become more responsive to the broader objectives of security and public accountability. The country case studies are based to a large extent on original research papers written by experts from the respective national academic and defense procurement communities.

This report provides up-to-date information on the four main technical issues which will present the greatest challenges to the implementation of the comprehensive test ban treaty being negotiated at the Geneva Conference on Disarmament: formulating an appropriate definition of the term nuclear test; creating the organization for effective implementation; verifying compliance with the treaty's provisions; and implications of the treaty's prohibition on preparations for testing, whether that prohibition is made explicit or remains implicit. The report is written in such a way that it offers...

This report documents the government submissions to the United Nations on the transfer of arms in seven weapons categories in 1992 and compares this data with information published by SIPRI in its arms trade register. It assesses the results of the United Nations register and the prospects for improving it in 1994. It is a unique source of information that will be of special interest to political scientists and policymakers interested in arms control.

This report examines the defence industries in Central and Eastern Europe as they attempt to restructure in the wake of changes brought about by the end of the cold war and downward trends in both military expenditure and arms exports. Issues addressed include the developing military doctrines in Central and Eastern Europe; the trend in military expenditure; the nature of defence industry restructuring; the international dimensions of industrial restructuring; and the role of arms exports.

Examining the new dangers and challenges to international security in Europe in the post-cold war era, the author argues for the need to redefine and restructure arms control at a time when most European nations no longer perceive each other as threats, and when security concerns have shifted from external to internal sources. Particular emphasis is given to the role which could and should be played by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe for the prevention of intra-state armed conflicts.

SIPRI Research Reports is a series of reports on urgent arms control and security subjects. The reports are concise, timely, and authoritative sources of information. SIPRI researchers and commissioned experts present new findings as well as easily accessible collections of official documents and data.

The defence industry was one of the pillars of the classic command economy system in Central Europe. Since the early 1990s the sector has gone through dramatic changes. It was radically downsized, reorganized and restructured according to the needs of the emerging new socio-economic systems. One of the major factors that shaped this adjustment was the enlargement of NATO and the European Union and the prospect of integration into these two organizations. The military establishments and defence industries became principal actors in the integration process, which helped them to acquire new...

This book is the result of a two-year SIPRI research project. The authors come from 12 countries, including all the Caspian littoral states, and have a unique knowledge of regional affairs. They present authoritative basic data on the true energy resources in the Caspian Sea region, on existing and proposed energy pipelines, on the spread of radical Islam, and on arms acquisitions and military spending by regional governments. They then look at the national political and security interests in the region of the littoral and the main extra-regional countries and of the role of energy resources...