Blockchain Technology: An Innovative Policy Tool for Enhancing Conventional Arms Control and Verification
18 January 2022
Key points
- Blockchain represents an unprecedented opportunity for enhancing conventional arms control (CAC) and verification. Based on the principles of transparency, verifiability, and predictability, this state-of-the-art technology could build confidence and facilitate the implementation of arms control mechanisms.
- Blockchain-based so-called “smart contracts” have advantageous practical implications for CAC. They could improve the verification of countries’ compliance with their CAC obligations by enhancing monitoring procedures and could strengthen arms export controls by improving treaty signatories’ ability to monitor weapons and ammunition supply chains.
- Reinforcing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) framework for conventional ammunition control with a permissioned blockchain would provide greater confidentiality and improve monitoring and data verifiability, thus strengthening the OSCE’s CAC regimes.
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Information
By
Nicolò Miotto
Nicolò Miotto, an Italian national, is pursuing the International Master’s in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies at the University of Glasgow (UK), Dublin City University (Ireland) and Charles University (Czech Republic). His research interests include terrorism and violent extremism, emerging technologies, and geopolitics.