Arms Control Today articles from March 2007

Arms Control Today archives from March 2007

Editor's note.
March 1, 2007... On Feb. 13, the United States, North Korea, and four other countries struck a deal on initial steps that could lead to North Korea's nuclear disarmament. Critics on the right and on the left quickly lashed out at the agreement either as too...

Deja vu all over again.(FOCUS)
March 1, 2007... The Cold War may be over, but the nuclear-armed missiles and suspicions remain. Now, Washington's plan to deploy ground-based missile interceptors in the former Eastern Bloc--coupled with the expansion of NATO and the Bush administration's...

Notable quotable.(InBRIEF)
March 1, 2007... "The train of the Iranian nation has no break or a reverse gear. We have dismantled and discarded the break and the reverse gear!" --Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Feb. 25, discussing his country's disputed nuclear program after the...

The democrats and arms control: the questions in 1992.(Fifteen Years Ago in ACT)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... We must do more to stop the threat of weapons of mass destruction from spreading... Japan and South Korea should be extremely concerned about the prospects of a North Korean bomb. I would coordinate a coherent international response that...

By the numbers.(InBRIEF)(federal budget request for 2008)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Fiscal Year 2008 Federal Budget Request* $348 Million Cooperative Threat Reduction, Department of Defense $464 Million Nonproliferation, Anti-Terrorism, and Demining, Department of State $1.67 Billion Defense Nuclear...

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.(Treaty Update)(Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty )(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... On Jan. 19, Moldova ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), making it the final state in Europe to do so. All told, Moldova brings the total number of states that have ratified the treaty up to 138. Montenegro also recently ratified...

Global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism.(Treaty Update)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Thirteen countries participating in a July 2006 U.S.-Russian antinuclear-terrorism initiative gathered Feb. 12-13 in Ankara, Turkey. Co-chaired by departing Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph and...

Enriched uranium agreement.(Treaty Update)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... On Dec. 4, Germany approved plans to transfer highly enriched uranium (HEU) from a former East German nuclear research center to a Russian facility for processing and storage. Two hundred kilograms of HEU would be relocated under the agreement,...

Chemical Weapons Convention.(Treaty Update)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Montenegro on Oct. 23, 2006 became the latest state to deposit its consent to be bound by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). By becoming party to the convention, Montenegro has agreed not to stockpile, produce, or use chemical weapons. To...

India-Pakistan nuclear risk reduction agreement.(Treaty Update)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... On Feb. 21, India and Pakistan signed a nuclear risk reduction agreement in New Delhi following the 5th India-Pakistan Joint Commission meeting. The Agreement on Reducing the Risk from Accidents Relating to Nuclear Weapons will consist of...

IAEA additional protocol.(Treaty Update)(International Atomic Energy Agency)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Kazakhstan's parliament Feb. 1 ratified an additional protocol to its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Kazakhstan signed its version of the voluntary protocol in February 2004. The 1997 Model Additional...

Conference on disarmament.(Treaty Update)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... On Jan. 22, the 2007 session of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (CD) opened with a statement from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that called on the organization to "rise to the challenge" of multilateral disarmament. He further...

John Negroponte has been confirmed as deputy secretary of state by the U.S. Senate.(Comings and Goings)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... John Negroponte has been confirmed as deputy secretary of state by the U.S. Senate. Vice Admiral Mike McConnell was confirmed to replace Negroponte as director of national intelligence. They assumed office on Feb. 13 and Feb. 20, respectively.

State for International Security and Nonproliferation.(Comings and Goings)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation John C. Rood has been nominated to replace Robert Joseph as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

Zalmay Khalilzad, has been nominated by President George W. Bush to be U.S. representative to the United Nations.(Comings and Goings)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, has been nominated by President George W. Bush to be U.S. representative to the United Nations, replacing acting representative Ambassador Alejandro Wolff.

On the Calendar.(What's Ahead)(Calendar)
March 1, 2007... March 13-16 Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons: 48th session of the executive council, The Hague. April 9-27 Annual meeting of the UN Disarmament Commission. Agenda will include...

Dangerous dealings: North Korea's nuclear capabilities and the threat of export to Iran.
March 1, 2007... On Oct. 9, 2006, North Korea conducted a nuclear test and proclaimed itself a world nuclear power. The explosion yield was less than one kiloton, much less than the first nuclear test of other states and even less than the expected yield of...

Out of the valley: advancing the Biological Weapons Convention after the 2006 review conference.
March 1, 2007... At 6:15 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, 2006, the Sixth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was brought to a close with smiles, handshakes, and the resounding applause of 103 delegations in Geneva. Less audible was a collective...

The UN process on small arms: all is not lost.(United Nations)
March 1, 2007... Small arms and light weapons (1) are the weapons of choice for insurgents, terrorists, warlords, and crime syndicates. They undermine stability and security in places as diverse as Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,...

Initial pact reached to end North Korean nuclear weapons program.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
March 1, 2007... On Feb. 13, participants in six-party talks announced that they had agreed on initial steps for ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The agreement marked the first concrete sign of progress since the talks stalled almost 18 months ago....

Chinese satellite destruction stirs debate.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
March 1, 2007... In January, China for the first time used a weapon to destroy one of its satellites. Beijing says its feat was not hostile, but it polluted space with a huge amount of potentially harmful debris and sparked debate over China's professed desire...

The USSR's past anti-satellite testing.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)(Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The Soviet Union pursued anti-satellite (ASAT) programs for decades but apparently never smashed a satellite into bits as China did recently and the United States did in 1985. Still, Washington assessed Moscow's capabilities as a viable threat...

Chinese proud, defensive about ASAT test.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
March 1, 2007... After shooting down one of its weather satellites Jan. 11, the Chinese government maintained a baffling silence until Jan. 23 when it confirmed foreign reports of the event. Since then, government leaders in Beijing have said little, but the...

Slow start in 2007 for U.S.-Indian nuclear deal.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
March 1, 2007... A top U.S. official predicted late last year that if the U.S. and Indian governments "move real fast" in 2007 they would be able to clear India for global civil nuclear trade in six months. But New Delhi has proceeded at a more leisurely pace,...

Security Council considers new Iran sanctions.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
March 1, 2007... Senior officials from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany agreed Feb. 26 in London to draft a new council resolution that could impose additional nonmilitary sanctions on Iran. Discussions were preliminary,...

ElBaradei: Iran's nuclear program advances.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
March 1, 2007... Iran has continued to advance its nuclear program in defiance of a December 2006 UN Security Council resolution, according to a Feb. 22 report from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei. The agency's Board...

U.S. sanctions Iranian, Syrian entities.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
March 1, 2007... As part of its campaign to bankrupt certain foreign arms programs, the United States recently sanctioned several entities from Syria and Iran, including the fifth-largest Iranian state-owned bank, Bank Sepah. In June 2005, President George...

Iran receives smuggled surplus F-14 parts.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
March 1, 2007... Iran purchased several parts for F-14 fighter planes from a U.S. military surplus store, according to the results of a federal investigation reported by the Associated Press (AP) Jan. 16. The report prompted the Pentagon to suspend sales of the...

Israeli cluster munitions use examined.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
March 1, 2007... The Department of State recently informed Congress that Israeli use of U.S.-origin cluster munitions in Lebanon last summer might have broken U.S. export rules. Washington has yet to announce if it will take any action against its close ally,...

Bush seeks budget boost for future warhead.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)(George W. Bush)
March 1, 2007... The Bush administration wants lawmakers this year to nearly quintuple spending on what it claims will be the prototype future U.S. nuclear warhead. But as of the end of February, Congress was waiting on the administration to choose between two...

Missile defense remains budget priority.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
March 1, 2007... Anti-missile programs have been a consistent Bush administration funding favorite, and its recent budget request to Congress continues the trend. All told, the Pentagon is seeking approximately $10.8 billion for its various missile defense...

Bush cuts threat reduction budget.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
March 1, 2007... President George W. Bush's 2008 fiscal year budget request calls for more cuts in programs related to nonproliferation activities in the former Soviet Union, although some individual threat reduction programs would see gains or maintain...

House approves nonproliferation initiatives.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
March 1, 2007... The House of Representatives approved several nonproliferation initiatives in January as part of a broader bill to fully implement the recommendations of an independent commission that investigated the September 11 terrorist attacks. ...

U.S. funding for CTBTO lags.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)(Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization)
March 1, 2007... Accumulating shortfalls in the U.S. contribution to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) could slow its effort to complete a global monitoring network and conduct data analysis designed to detect and deter treaty violations,...

UN battles over disarmament bureaucracy.(THE WORLD)(Department for Disarmament Affairs of the United Nations )
March 1, 2007... It is a given that every new UN secretary-general has the right to organize the secretariat to his liking--the secretary-general's most explicit responsibility in the UN Charter is of "chief administrative officer of the Organization." However,...

U.S., Europe anti-missile plans upset Russia.(EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION)
March 1, 2007... A U.S. bid to base anti-missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic is provoking strong reactions from Russia, including hints that it might abrogate a two-decade-old treaty restricting Russian missile holdings. Moscow has...

HEU smuggling sting raises security concerns.(EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION)(highly enriched uranium)
March 1, 2007... Georgia and the United States revealed in January that in early 2006 they had arrested a Russian man attempting to sell 100 grams of weapons-grade uranium. The seizure was one of the largest of its kind and raised questions about the security...

Book review: moving nonproliferation forward.(U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy: Confronting Today's Threats)(Book review)
March 1, 2007... U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy: Confronting Today's Threats Edited by George Bunn and Christopher F. Chyba Brookings Institution Press, September 2006, 340 pp. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Notwithstanding occasional hand-wringing about the...

Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons.(Books OF NOTE)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2007... Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons By Joseph Cirincione, Columbia University Press, March 2007, 192 pp. Part history, part theory, and part policy guide, this short volume serves as a primer on nuclear proliferation....

Arms Control in the Middle East: Cooperative Security Dialogue and Regional Constraints.(Books OF NOTE)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2007... Arms Control in the Middle East: Cooperative Security Dialogue and Regional Constraints By Emily B. Landau, Sussex Academic Press, July 2006, 172 pp. Emily Landau, a senior researcher at Israel's Jaffa Center for Strategic Studies,...

Small Arms and Security.(Books OF NOTE)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2007... Small Arms and Security By Denise Garcia, Routledge, October 2006, 266 pp. Denise Garcia, a research fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, examines the recent emergence of international...