This article focuses on steps to strengthen security for nuclear material and facilities. But the September attacks also clearly send the message that a broad range of other efforts - from nuclear arms reductions to strengthened export controls - must be redoubled to reduce the global threats posed by nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

Realistically, to be truly effective, a regime to keep weapons of mass destruction out of terrorist hands must be built on a solid structure of arms control and non-proliferation measures binding States to norms and rules of behavior, and to cooperative approaches to security problems.