In the wake of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the United States has increasingly emphasised counter-proliferation relative to nonproliferation, while also expressing concern at the possibility of terrorist acquisition of weapons of mass destruction. One example of this counter-proliferation emphasis is the U.S.-led “Proliferation Security Initiative” (PSI) which was established in 2003. The aim of the PSI is to “impede and stop trafficking of WMD, their delivery systems and related materials by any state or non-state actor engaged in or supporting WMD proliferation programmes, at any time and in any place”.
Methods to be used in support of this aim include maritime interdiction, raising the question of the circumstances in which such interdiction is legal under the international law of the sea.
The documents included here are from three 2002 Proliferation Security Initiative meetings, including the “Statement of Interdiction Principles” issued in September 2003. Also included are some key documents on North Korea’s nuclear status –regarded by many as the main catalyst for the Proliferation Security Initiative.
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