Bureau of Industry and Security - International Cooperation

International Cooperation

International cooperation is critical to BIS's activities. The mission of promoting security depends heavily upon international cooperation with the United States's principal trading partners and other countries of strategic importance, such as major transshipment hubs. BIS takes the viewpoint that when seeking to control the spread of dangerous goods and technologies, protecting critical infrastructures, and ensuring the existence of a strong defense industrial base, international cooperation is critical. With regard to export control laws in particular, effective enforcement is greatly enhanced by both international cooperation and an effort to harmonize the substance of U.S. laws with those of our principal trading partners. International cooperation, however, does not mean " settling on the lowest common denominator". Where consensus cannot be broadly obtained, the BIS will maintain its principles, but should seek to achieve its goals through other means, including cooperation among smaller groups of like-minded partners.