COCOM: An International Attempt to Control Technology

摘要

The changes in Eastern Europe have precipitated a rapid re- evaluation of export control efforts on the part of the Western Allies. This is best evidenced by recent high level meetings in Paris between the participants of the Coordination Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM). The results of these meetings are extremely important to the future of multi- national methods of technology control. COCOM was established in 1949 as a response by members of NATO to the growing Soviet threat. Seven western European nations, plus the United States, determined there was a need for the multilateral control of military technology available to the Soviets and their surrogate East Bloc states. The concept was to deny the export of strategic technology to the Warsaw Pact in order to deny access to technologies that increased the effectiveness of their respective militaries.1.