India’s entry into Wassenaar arrangement

Why in news?

India has been admitted as the 42nd member of Wassenaar Arrangement.

What is Wassenaar Arrangement?

• The Wassenaar Arrangement is an elite club of countries which subscribe to arms export controls.
• It is clubbed with mechanisms such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and the Australia Group.
• The body came into being in 1996 to succeed the Cold War-era Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls.
• The WA has 42 members, with the exception of China, all the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are signatories of the WA.

How does the Wassenaar Arrangement work?

• The goal of the Arrangement is to promote transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.
• The Arrangement works according to WA Control Lists and the controls are subject to ratification by the participants.
• Participants are required toensure that transfers of these items do not contribute to the development or enhancement of military capabilities which undermine the goal.

What are the significances of India’s entry?

• Earlier India’s efforts at the NSG were stopped by China, which is not a member of the Wassenaar Arrangement.
• Wassenaar Arrangement membership is seen as a credit on India’s need for diplomacy in sensitive nuclear issues, compared to the failed attempt to gain entry to the NSG in 2016.
• India’s admittance into the Wassenaar Arrangement will strengthen India’s credentials as a responsible nuclear power.
• India’s WA membership is expected to build up a strong case for India’s entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
• Wassenaar Arrangement will also embed India deeper in the global non-proliferation architecture and enable access to critical technologies in the defence and space sectors.

Source: The Hindu

Quick facts

NSG

• The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
• It has 48 members and India is not a member of this group.
• Support of international efforts towards non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is the main consideration for the participation in the group.
• The NSG Guidelines authorises a member country to transfer only when satisfied that the transfer would not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

MTCR

• Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) was established in April 1987 by Japan.
• It aims to limit the spread of ballistic missiles and other unmanned delivery systems that could be used for chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks.
• It has 35 members,which include most of the world's key missile manufacturers, India is a member in this group.
• It seeks to restrict the exports of missiles and related technologies of any type of weapon of mass destruction.

Australia Group

• The Australia Group (AG) is an informal forum of countries which, through the harmonisation of export controls.
• It seeks to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons.
• It has 42 members and India is not a member of this group.