Analysis Of Wassenaar Arrangement Mechanism

The multilateral export control system is an important institutional arrangement in the international non-proliferation field and plays an important role in maintaining world and regional stability and preventing the proliferation of weapons and sensitive technologies.The Wassenaar Arrangement(WA)is an important part of the multilateral export control mechanism.Its predecessor was the COCOM,which was established by the United States and other countries during the Cold War and controlled trade between East and West.Since its foundation in 1996,WA has played an irreplaceable role in the export control of conventional weapons and dual-use goods.This paper briefly reviews the history of COCOM,examines the historical background and process of the dissolution of COCOM and the establishment of the Wassenaar arrangement,and introduces the mechanism and limitations of the Wassenaar Arrangement.It argues that the export control lists and best practices of WA are international public goods that all the countries in the world can benefit from them.WA also plays a unique role in fighting with terrorism and preventing the proliferation of conventional weapons.The problem with Wassenaar’s arrangement is that the effectiveness of the mechanism is weak.The complex contradictions among the major powers within the organization hamper reforms as well as developments of the organization.It is difficult to effectively reflect the challenges faced by new technologies and cross-domain control.In the future,WA should continue to communicate and cooperate with non-members,reform the organization’s mechanisms,enhance the effectiveness of the mechanism,handle the regulatory issues related to new technologies more cautiously,and strengthen its collaboration with other multilateral export controls regimes.