A Go-to-Market Strategy: Promoting Private Sector Solutions to the Threat of Proliferation
Abstract
The interconnectivity, complexity, and fluidity of global commerce suggest that the ability of governments to control the proliferation of dangerous technologies is diminishing - at the very moment proliferation and other transnational criminal challenges are increasing. Privatization, outsourcing, global industrial development, and the migration of many business activities to an electronic medium are pushing sensitive items into more hands and decreasing the capacity of even well - resourced and well-intentioned governments to regulate these activities. A wide array of private sector companies - from dual-use technology innovators and manufacturers, to shipping firms, investors, and the insurance and banking industries - play a role in the movement of dangerous materials, limiting direct government control over the means of production and causing them, potentially, to contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), knowingly or otherwise. While government regulation will remain the central element in preventing WMD proliferation and combatting other forms of transnational criminal activity, in some cases, governments are approaching the practical limits of legal restrictions and criminal enforcement of the rules. Developing government and private sector partnerships is widely recognized to be a critical component for successful nonproliferation and counter-trafficking efforts; however, neither the government nor the expert community has systematically developed practical collaborations that go beyond threats of additional regulation. While not a panacea, self-regulation incented by the market is an under-leveraged tool in current prevention efforts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA584066
Entities
People
- Brian Finlay
- Esha Mufti
- Nate Olson
Organizations
- Henry L. Stimson Center