Arms Control Today articles from June 2006

Arms Control Today archives from June 2006

Editor's note.
June 1, 2006... STRATCOM Commander Gen. James E. Cartwright has many responsibilities, but two particularly heavy ones: preventing or deterring a nuclear attack from other countries and executing a U.S. nuclear attack if ordered to do so. In this month's cover...

"Completely nuts".(Iran's nuclear program)
June 1, 2006... As the international confrontation over Iran's nuclear program gradually escalates, the Bush administration insists it is seeking a diplomatic solution even as it refuses to rule out the possibility of pre-emptive military strikes against Iran....

Notable quotable.(Condoleezza Rice)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "As soon as Iran fully and verifiably suspends its enrichment and reprocessing activities, the United States will come to the table with our EU-3 colleagues and meet with Iran representatives... Given the benefits of this positive path for the...

Fulfilling the promise of the NPT: the CTBT and beyond.(Ten Years Ago in ACT)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The replacement of the evil empire by rogue states as a bogey to justify additional defense expenditures, new ballistic missile defense systems and exclusive export control clubs like the Nuclear Suppliers Group is one of the regrettable...

By the numbers.(InBRIEF)
June 1, 2006... The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) 3 Years in effect as of May 31 6 U.S. bilateral shipboarding agreements with Belize, Croatia, Cyprus, Liberia, Marshall Islands, and Panama 14 Meetings of operational...

The Russian Nuclear Arsenal.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... The Russian Nuclear Arsenal By Pavel Podvig, International Relations and Security Network, March 2006 Russia's nuclear weapons arsenal is a fraction of what it used to be during Soviet times, but it will remain a viable, albeit...

Demanding Attention: Addressing the Dynamics of Small Arms Demand.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... Demanding Attention: Addressing the Dynamics of Small Arms Demand By David Atwood, Anne-Kathrin Glatz, and Robert Muggah, The UN Department for Disarmament Affairs, the Quaker UN Office, and the Small Arms Survey, January 2006 The...

Sub-Regional Agreement.(arms control agreement)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... June 14 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the Sub-Regional Agreement, hammered out in the aftermath of the 1990s disintegration of Yugoslavia. Under the agreement, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), and the...

Second Line of Defense program.(Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration and Kazakhstan sign agreement)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... On May 6, the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Kazakhstan announced an agreement to create a partnership under the department's Second Line of Defense program. The worldwide initiative utilizes methods...

On the calendar.(What's Ahead)
June 1, 2006... June 8-15 Conference on Disarmament: Debate on Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space, Geneva. June 12 International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors meeting, Vienna. June 19-23 Convention on Certain...

Strategic decisions: an interview with STRATCOM Commander General James E. Cartwright.(Strategic Command)(Interview)
June 1, 2006... The Bush administration set forth its plan for transforming the roles and structure of U.S. strategic forces in its December 2001 Nuclear Posture Review. The revamped posture, according to administration officials, aims to reduce U.S. reliance...

Reorganization run amok: State Department's WMD effort weakened.(weapons of mass destruction)
June 1, 2006... On July 29, 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced a Department of State reorganization that focused primarily on arms control and nonproliferation efforts. Its stated purpose was to strengthen the State Department's role in...

Reshaping U.S. nonproliferation strategy: an interview with Undersecretary of State Robert Joseph.(Interview)
June 1, 2006... The Department of State currently has a full plate of issues on nonproliferation and arms control matters, ranging from trying to resolve nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea to promoting a far-reaching U.S. initiative to engage in...

Small arms, large problem: the international threat of small arms proliferation and misuse.
June 1, 2006... The illicit proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (1) ranks among today's most pressing security threats. Tens of thousands of people are killed or wounded each year in conflicts that are fought primarily with these weapons...

U.S. offers Iran direct talks.
June 1, 2006... The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany, are continuing their efforts to craft a new package of incentives and disincentives designed to persuade Iran to end its gas centrifuge-based uranium-enrichment program....

Behind Iran's diplomatic behavior.
June 1, 2006... Ever since the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) uncovered Iran's previously covert nuclear activities in 2003, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (later backed by the United States) have attempted to persuade Iran to give up its...

IAEA raises new questions on Iran program.(International Atomic Energy Agency)
June 1, 2006... The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continues to investigate questions about Iran's nuclear file, specifically Tehran's incomplete and inconsistent accounting of its uranium-enrichment and plutonium-separation activities. But an April...

U.S., Libya to restore full diplomatic relations.
June 1, 2006... The United States is set to re-establish full diplomatic relations with Libya, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced May 15. The same day, President George W. Bush filed a report that will allow Libya to be taken off of the list of...

EU approves nonproliferation framework.
June 1, 2006... The European Parliament May 17 approved a seven-year budget framework for the European Union that is likely to lead to that body spending on average [euro]141 million ($180 million) annually for the period 2007-2013 on nonproliferation,...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
June 1, 2006... * On page 27 of Arms Control Today's May 2006 issue, a STRATCOM spokesperson incorrectly reported that the 433 launches of non-nuclear armed ballistic missiles cited by STRATCOM Commander General James Cartwright in March 29 testimony referred...

U.S. unveils draft fissile material treaty.(THE WORLD)
June 1, 2006... At the 65-member Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, the United States May 18 unveiled a draft treaty to end production of the two essential ingredients for building nuclear weapons. But prospects for negotiations on the proposal are slim...

UN extends committee on terrorists and arms.(United Nations)
June 1, 2006... In a unanimous vote April 27, the UN Security Council extended for two years a committee charged with monitoring efforts by states to prevent nonstate actors from acquiring or developing biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons. The vote on...

States agree on BWC conference agenda.(Biological Weapons Convention )
June 1, 2006... States-parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) have agreed to an agenda for the treaty's review conference this fall that will include an article-by-article review of the convention. They also left open the possibility of continuing...

Congress challenges Global Strike plan.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
June 1, 2006... Congress is challenging a new Pentagon plan to arm some submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with conventional warheads. In crafting the fiscal year 2007 defense authorization bill, lawmakers have also made a few other significant...

U.S. bars future arms sales to Venezuela.
June 1, 2006... Underscoring its continuing unhappiness with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, Washington announced May 15 that future U.S. arms sales to Venezuela would be prohibited. Although Venezuela is not a major U.S. arms buyer, Venezuelan officials...

Indo-Pakistani talks advance.
June 1, 2006... Pakistan and India are nearing final agreement on a proposal to reduce the risk of nuclear accidents or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons. According to a joint statement produced at the most recent round of talks on nuclear...

U.S.-Indian nuclear deal simmers.
June 1, 2006... The Bush administration is urging lawmakers to quickly give their approval to a U.S.-Indian civilian nuclear cooperation proposal, but some legislators are expressing reservations about the pace and scope of the deal. President George W....

Looking back: going for Baruch: the nuclear plan that refused to go away.(Bernard Baruch)
June 1, 2006... Sixty years ago, U.S. Ambassador Bernard Baruch addressed the new UN Atomic Energy Commission and outlined a bold and controversial plan for international control or ownership of all "dangerous" nuclear materials and related facilities. (1) Six...