Examining New Pathways to WMD Proliferation

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), global terrorism, and problems emanating from weak and failing states constitute the main threats to global security in our time. No longer bound by the rules of a system of states, new international criminal and terrorist networks flourish in the facilitative environments of weak and failing states, cultural enclaves in strong states, and ungoverned spaces. These networks of criminals and traffickers, terrorists and radicals, and the volatile environments that enable their activities, represent an entirely different threat from that envisioned by the crafters of today’s policies and institutions meant to secure and safeguard weapons of mass destruction.

After three years of project work, in January 2009, The Fund for Peace established the Threat Convergence program to explore the linkages among the three biggest threats to global security: fragile states, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and terrorism. The program aims to:

• raise the profile of the challenges in vulnerable, fragile and ungoverned regions on the nonproliferation agenda;
• explore how these regions may serve as enabling environments for nuclear terrorism;
• promote more coherent and strategic policy approaches to nuclear terrorism and illicit nuclear trafficking; and
• become a hub for threat convergence-related analysis.

The FfP encourages innovative and fresh approaches to the issues by:

• convening and fostering research collaboration among experts from the fields of WMD proliferation, global terrorism, and fragile states;
• performing extensive field research in some of the world’s most difficult environments;
• partnering with international and regional organizations to explore how the threat of catastrophic terrorism emanating from weak and failing states can be prevented;
• developing specific and regionally-appropriate policy recommendations to thwart potential WMD proliferation through such networks; and
• promoting our findings and recommendations to US and international policymakers and engaging them in developing new approaches to nonproliferation strategies.

Please visit our Research page for more in-depth information about our work to date.