Arms Control Today articles from January 2007

Arms Control Today archives from January 2007

Editor's note.(nuclear disarmament)(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... When it comes to agreements governing dangerous weapons and dangerous materials, there is sometimes a significant chasm between the lofty aims of such accords and the often gritty details that are needed to make them truly effective on a...

New reasons to reject new warheads.
January 1, 2007... For years, some scientists and policymakers have worried that the reliability of U.S. nuclear warheads could diminish as their plutonium components age. Such concerns have led some to argue the United States should resume nuclear testing,...

Notable quotable.(Tony Blair )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... "We would not want to have available the terrifying power of these weapons unless we believed that to be necessary to deter a future aggressor." --British Prime Minister Tony Blair Dec. 4 introducing a white paper defending his decision to...

Notable quotable.(InBRIEF)
January 1, 2007... "South Africa believes that the continued retention of nuclear weapons by some countries weakens the nuclear nonproliferation regime and could serve as a logical foundation for others to also aspire to develop such capabilities." --South...

The fourth BWC review conference: an important step forward.(use of biological materials)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Surprisingly, during the general debate only six states-parties (Brazil, Canada, France, Romania, the Slovak Republic, and the United States) mentioned the possible terrorist use of biological materials and the relevance of national measures to...

By the numbers: Chemical Weapons Convention.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In December, a Conference of States-Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention extended deadlines for destroying material under the treaty (see page 29). The original deadline was April 29, 2007. 10 Original treaty period, in years,...

Fatal footprint: the global human impact of cluster munitions.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Handicap International, November 2006 Humanitarian group Handicap International argues for a global ban on cluster munitions in a comprehensive report on the casualties caused by these weapons. Cluster munitions are bombs, rockets, or...

Chinese nuclear forces and U.S. nuclear war planning.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Federation of American Scientists and the Natural Resources Defense Council, November 2006 Researchers Hans Kristensen and Stan Norris assess China's nuclear arsenal and review U.S. intelligence community's predictions of a Chinese nuclear...

Arms trade treaty.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... On Dec. 6, the UN General Assembly voted 153-1 with 24 abstentions to launch a process toward a treaty to regulate the global conventional arms trade. In 2008, the United Nations will convene a group of governmental experts to explore the...

The Wassenaar Arrangement.(Treaty Update)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Wassenaar Arrangement held its annual plenary meeting Dec. 5-6 in Vienna. The voluntary regime's 40 members seek to share information on and coordinate their exports of conventional arms and dual-use goods, which have both civilian and...

IAEA Additional Protocol.(International Atomic Energy Agency)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In November, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, and the Dominican Republic all approved additional protocols to their safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The voluntary adoption of versions of the 1997 Model Additional...

On the calendar.(Calendar)
January 1, 2007... Jan. UN Conference on Disarmament: first session, 22-March 30 Geneva. Jan. 30 2007 State of the Union Address, Washington D.C. March 5-9 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors...

Verifying the chemical weapons ban: missing elements.
January 1, 2007... The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which bans the development, production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of chemical arms, is the first treaty to prohibit an entire category of "weapons of mass destruction" under strict international...

Enforcing international standards: protecting nuclear materials from terrorists post-9/11.
January 1, 2007... For a long time, how nuclear facilities were protected from terrorists and thieves has been largely the prerogative of the facilities themselves or individual governments. (1) But the September 11 terrorist attacks and statements by Osama bin...

Shoring up a crucial bridge: South Africa's pressing nuclear choices.
January 1, 2007... Taking advantage of an unusual nuclear history; an innovative, domestic nuclear power industry; and strong ties with other strategic countries, South Africa is emerging as a crucial bridge between developed and developing countries on nuclear...

UN Security Council sanctions Iran.
January 1, 2007... The UN Security Council Dec. 23 responded to Iran's continued failure to comply with its demands by raising the stakes, unanimously approving a new resolution limiting Tehran's ability to obtain materials that could aid its nuclear and missile...

States strengthen Biological Weapons Convention.
January 1, 2007... The sixth review conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) concluded Dec. 8, approving a range of measures to strengthen the 1972 treaty. The agreement on a final declaration at the end of the three-week meeting marks the first...

Chemical Weapons deadlines extended.(THE WORLD)
January 1, 2007... A Dec. 5-8 meeting in The Hague of members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) granted the United States and Russia a five-year extension to a 2007 deadline for destroying their chemical weapons stockpiles. Both...

Russia, west still split over Georgia, Moldova.(THE WORLD)
January 1, 2007... The Cold War ended more than 15 years ago, but the legacy of the Soviet Union's breakup still divides governments. At a recent high-level Brussels meeting, Washington and other Western capitals clashed with Moscow over its lingering military...

New nuclear designs, new questions.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
January 1, 2007... Recent scientific studies have concluded that a core element of most U.S. nuclear warheads will last decades longer than previously predicted. Still, government officials and a recent Pentagon task force say the U.S. nuclear stockpile and...

Congress exempts India from nuclear trade rules.
January 1, 2007... President George W. Bush Dec. 18 signed into law legislation making India eligible for broad U.S. civil nuclear exports for the first time in roughly three decades. But commencement of such trade still hinges on a series of negotiations that...

Major policy shifts unlikely with Democratic Congress.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
January 1, 2007... Democrats take control of Congress this month for the first time in a dozen years, but their ascension is likely to lead to only modest shifts in U.S. arms control and nonproliferation policies, say congressional aides and independent experts....

Missile defense under scrutiny.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
January 1, 2007... Top U.S. defense officials were honored recently for activating a rudimentary anti-ballistic missile system last year. But a key lawmaker says more testing is needed to prove the system can work, and a Pentagon advisory task force also has...

THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS.(Breeding Bin Ladens: America, Islam, and the Future of Europe)(Great Powers and Geopolitical Change)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Breeding Bin Ladens America, Islam, and the Future of Europe Zachary Shore "Zachary Shore realized earlier than most the potentially huge importance of the religious revival among young Muslims in Europe. The interviews and other...

No progress at North Korea talks.
January 1, 2007... After a lapse of more than a year, representatives of six countries met in Beijing Dec. 18-22 in another attempt to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis. Yet, although the United States presented a new proposal to North Korea during one of...

Iran, North Korea deepen missile cooperation.
January 1, 2007... North Korea has long been known to be a key supplier of missile technology to Iran. Concern about this cooperation, however, has increased in recent months as both countries have expanded their nuclear and missile programs. Pyongyang...

China updates nuclear export regulations.
January 1, 2007... For the first time in almost 10 years, China has updated its export controls on nuclear technology. China's State Council published the changes Dec. 1, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. According to Xinhua, the regulations,...

Blair: retain UK nuclear weapons.(Tony Blair )
January 1, 2007... British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently unveiled a plan to extend until about midcentury his country's possession of a slimmed-down nuclear weapons arsenal. British lawmakers will vote as early as March on the initiative. The United...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... The North Korean Test and the Limits of Nuclear Forensics Harold P. Smith ("Nuclear Forensics and the North Korean Test," Arms Control Today, November 2006) writes: Any nuclear explosion creates radioactive noble gases, notably...

Act 2006 index.(arms control)
January 1, 2007... Subject Additional Protocol: PK, "IAEA Reports Iran to UN Security Council," March, p. 27; PK, "Questions Surround Iran's Nuclear Program," March, p. 30; PK, "UN Urges Iran to Halt Enrichment," April, p. 25; WB, PK, DGK, "Reviving...