Summary: The United States has long supported multilateral efforts to control exports of so-called "dual-use" items--civilian goods and technologies that could also be used for military purposes. Recent events, however, have radically altered international export control efforts. The collapse of the Soviet bloc has led to a relaxing of many controls over Western exports to the East, while revelations about Iraq's weapons programs have intensified concerns about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This report reviews the current status of multilateral efforts to improve export control enforcement. GAO discusses (1) enforcement initiatives undertaken by the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls and other multilateral export control regimes, (2) the potential impact on multilateral export control enforcement resulting from the elimination of internal borders in the European Community, and (3) factors impeding the effectiveness of multilateral efforts to enforce export controls.
