Proliferation Security Initiative

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The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) is an international effort led by the United States to interdict transfer of banned weapons and weapons technology. The PSI is primarily focused on combating proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and materials. The initiative is designed to work within the framework of other international agreements and the role of participating countries varies. The PSI consists of 15 core countries, which alongside the US include Russia, Japan, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. A further 60 countries have agreed to cooperate on an ad hoc basis.

In September 2005, the People's Republic of China announced that it would not be participating in PSI due to concerns over its legality. India has so far resisted signing on to PSI. However, India, US, Japan, Australia & Singapore are conducting PSI exercises in the Bay of Bengal (Malabar Exercises - September 2007).

1 History
2 Participation
3 Exercise
4 See also
5 External links
- 5.1 Anti-PSI links

[edit] History

The idea of the PSI was specifically developed by John R. Bolton, former US Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security and former US Ambassador to the United Nations, after 15 Scud missiles found on board a North Korean freighter had to be released when it turned out that international law did not allow them to be confiscated. The PSI was announced by US President George W. Bush on May 31, 2003 in Cracow, Poland.

Eight nations have signed bilateral Mutual Shipboarding Pacts with the United States, allowing the mutual expedition of shipboarding requests for ships under those nations' flags. The eight are Belize, Croatia, Cyprus, Liberia, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Mongolia and Panama. Each of these nations maintains a large number of commercial vessels on their registries.

For the text of these bilateral agreements please refer to [1]

For an academic analysis of shipboarding in the PSI context see Fabio Spadi (2006), "Bolstering the Proliferation Security Initiative at Sea: A Comparative Analysis of Ship-boarding as a Bilateral and Multilateral Implementing Mechanism", Nordic Journal of International Law [2]

[edit] Participation

The primary role of PSI participants is to abide by a Statement of Interdiction Principles, with the primary purpose of interdicting subject weapons and materials. Additionally, participants are to enact legal statutes to facilitate effective interdiction and seizure of such items. Finally, participants are to take measures to ensure that their national facilities are not utilized to transfer illicit weapon cargoes.

In the United States, the program is managed by the NSC Staff working out of the White House, with the Pentagon and intelligence agencies playing lead roles. The United States Department of State Bureau of Nonproliferation has less of a role in the PSI than one might expect.

[edit] Exercise

In August 2005, a multi-national maritime interdiction exercise, codenamed Exercise Deep Sabre, was conducted in Singapore as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative. The exercise, launched at the Changi Naval Base and conducted in the South China Sea, involved some 2,000 personnel from the military, coast guard, customs and other agencies of 13 countries, including Singapore, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US. Ten ships and six maritime patrol aircraft were involved in the exercise that aimed to develop and practice effective procedures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. [3]