U.S. Non-Proliferation Initiatives and Regulations Vis-a-Vis Russia: An Ambulance Clase for Safeguards

Export controls are one facet of any arms control regime; simultaneously, arms control, especially in the case of nuclear nonproliferation, often requires the transfer of \"sensitive\" technologies. A number of complications arise for U.S. exporters of safeguards technologies to Russia due to the u.S. exports controls provisions. Specifically, a tension arises between U.S. initiatives to supply safeguards technologies to Russia and the export control regulations on sensitive technologies. The policies and regulatory provisions of the agencies involved have the same objective: nonproliferation. In many cases, however, safeguards technologies exported to stem the threat of nuclear proliferation can be construed as a technological contribution to nuclear weapons production. This paper will briefly discuss the U.S. initiatives with Russia and the relevant export control provisions in order to illustrate the underlying contradictions in these policies and provisions. A case is made for providing an exception, an \"ambulance clause,\" in export regulations to facilitate the realization of international security objectives. Regimes based on greater transparency and confidence building measures would allow for easier achievement of U.S. nonproliferation initiatives to ensure control of nuclear materials in Russia, while simultaneously rendering export control measures unnecessary.