The Multilateral Export Control Regimes

In the post WWII era, Multilateral Export Control Regimes (MECR) were formed to restrict the access of countries outside the western bloc – especially members of the Soviet Union – to modern military technology and equipment, mainly missiles and WMDs. Although even during the Cold War, these regimes went beyond those specific targets and set a precedent for global restriction outside NATO sphere.
Admittedly, these regimes proved effective in the years that followed the disintegration of the Soviet Union and have – directly and indirectly – affected the national security of many target countries.
Meanwhile, two notable Multilateral Export Control Regimes, including Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), seek to establish executive mechanisms to ensure that other countries do not have access to specific missile technologies related to the transfer and delivery of WMD warheads and dual-use technologies.