ABSTRACT

The primary threat to international peace and security facing the United Nations today remains proliferation of Weapons of Mass destruction (WMD). 2007 offers a turning point for the Security Council in meeting this challenge. Recently, the Economist Magazine called upon the big powers to “make better use of the existing potential for multilateral, lawful, international actions that the UN uniquely provides.” A matrix of legally-binding, multilateral WMD non-proliferation agreements already exists. Each has its own discipline-specific verification mechanism. Oversight provisions and treaty mandates do not foster innovation so there is little, if any, cross-cutting interplay between them. While UN Expert Verification Studies (1990, 1995, 2006) do provide constructive, reasoned insights into concept and theory, they fall well short in the practical dimension. This paper focuses on a unique legacy of experience and expertise acquired in Iraq during UNSCOM/UNMOVIC operations under UNSCR 687 (1991) and UNSCR 1284 (1999). Drawing from that multidisciplinary legacy, members of UNMOVIC’s professional staff in New York continue their research and analysis aimed at strengthening the UN’s indigenous verification capability by “connecting the dots”. UNMOVIC’s unique legacy should not be lost by default.