Abstract
Ballistic missile proliferation remains a serious threat to regional security and stability. While the post-Cold War era has seen a steady decline in the total number of long-range ballistic missiles, the few countries with active ballistic missile programs tend to concentrate in regions of ongoing and latent conflicts and are themselves either de facto or aspiring nuclear weapon states. Past efforts at stemming ballistic missile proliferation through technology denial and controls, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), have achieved notable success. However, with continuing spread and maturation of missile technologies and the emergence of indigenous capabilities, strategies based solely on export controls must be supplemented by efforts at developing norms for restraints in ballistic missile procurement and use. This article reviews and evaluates the various norms building initiatives such as the HCoC, GCS, and UNGEP and suggests that an integrated approach should be developed that addresses both the demand and supply factors in missile proliferation. Such an approach would ideally be holistic in conceptualization and synergetic in execution at the domestic, regional, multilateral, and global levels through transparency and confidence building, as well as denial strategies that raise the cost, delay, and ultimately prevents the acquisitions of longer-range ballistic missiles.