CIAO DATE: 09/07
The National Interest
Beyond the NRA Doctrine
Charles D. Ferguson and Peter van Ham
Abstract
The lack of a transatlantic policy to prevent the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction is perplexing. The United States has declared that the “proliferation of nuclear weapons poses the greatest threat to our national security”, and that “there are few greater threats than a terrorist attack with WMD.” The EU equally proclaims: “WMD and missile proliferation puts at risk the security of our states, our peoples and our interests around the world. Meeting this challenge must be a central element in the EU’s external action.”
So what would be more commonsensical than tackling this existential threat jointly?
The reality is, however, that the existing U.S.-EU policy framework hardly goes beyond a polite exchange of views during bi-annual summits. The lofty U.S.-EU communiqués hide the fact that there is simply no transatlantic WMD proliferation policy to speak of. The status quo is untenable, and the United States and EU should work urgently to make amends.