Conclusions and Recommendations

Abstract

As discussed in Chapter 1, holistic arms control (HAC) is an analytical approach consisting of a three-stage process, comprising:

• Stage one — examination of the nature of the weapon or weapons-related technology under review, current and/or potential future scenarios of application (together with attendant human security concerns), and the potential implications of advances in relevant science and technology.

• Stage two — exploration of the full range of potentially applicable control mechanisms, analysing strengths, weaknesses and limitations.

• Stage three — development of a comprehensive strategy to improve existing mechanisms (and/or introduce additional mechanisms) for the effective regulation or prohibition of the weapon or weapons-related technology of concern.

This analytic approach has been applied to the regulation of incapacitating chemical agent (ICA) weapons, riot control agents (RCAs) and their means of delivery. This concluding chapter will summarize the empirical results and attendant analysis, covering stages one and two of the HAC process. Building upon these findings, a strategy for the regulation of such agents and means of delivery in the short-to-medium term (five to ten years) will be proposed, in line with HAC stage three.