Ukrainian dual use export control evolution: historical pickles

Abstract

A prime object of this effort was to evaluate the premises of appearance and historical evolution of export control and transfer of dual use (DU) technologies emerged in Ukraine after 1991. Investigated problem: Liquidation of Soviet's monopoly on foreign trade in 1990s, a change in relations between the state and commodity producers, and a massive entry of unprepared exporters chasing maximum profits into the world market could not be envisaged in a full swing at that time by young and unexperienced Ukrainian export control system. The paper looks into Ukrainian DU technology transfer (TT) through a prism of historical premises. Those premises have been formed and are still found standing amongst technology offeror/end user and other TT players. Needless to say, that a technology transfer is a complicated, multi-leveled and multi-players process being impacted and followed with few factors and historically pre-set conditions that constrain its success or failure at the end. The development of DU technologies continues in a quagmire of conflicting interests, the ongoing war in Ukraine, national security and export control rationales. For the time being, debates on Ukrainian DU technologies and their misuse so far lack creativity and rather blurred; political and diplomatic initiatives came finally to nowhere trying to find turnkey solutions, all this is quite a challenge nowadays. The results of this analytical endeavor make a further solid floor for further debates in terms of politics, legislation and export control