Proliferation, Intelligence and the Case for Normalizing a Technical Accountability Obligation in Arms Control

摘要

This article argues the importance of technical accountability (national government responsibility for plausible technical explanation of past design, acquisition or production decisions, engaging fully with focused international expert questioning) for the reliable verification of disarmament and arms control, traces its absence and underappreciated significance during the Iraq Compliance Crisis, makes the case for the systematic international cultivation and strengthening of a strong general Technical Accountability Obligation (TAO) in future treaty interpretation and enforcement, considers political objections and proposes modalities to overcome them.