Arms Control Today articles from October 2005

Arms Control Today archives from October 2005

Editor's note.
October 1, 2005... Many states like arms control rules--in the abstract. But some find it much more difficult to support or adhere to such limits when restrictions require them to sacrifice concrete economic benefits or apparent security pillars. In this month's...

Preventing a nuclear Katrina.(Hurricane Katrina)
October 1, 2005... Surveying the devastation the day after Hurricane Katrina struck Gulf Coast towns and cities, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (R) likened the storm force to a nuclear attack. "I can only imagine this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years...

Notable quotable.(John Bolton, United States permanent representative for United Nations)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... "This section as drafted is overly prescriptive, repetitive and unfocused, reflecting little that promotes reform of the UN. It emphasizes disarmament when the true threat to international security stems from proliferation." --U.S....

Notable quotable.(Kofi Annan)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... "The big item missing is nonproliferation and disarmament. This is a real disgrace. We have failed twice this year: We failed at the [nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review] Conference, and we failed now." --UN Secretary-General Kofi...

Five years ago in ACT.(Arms Control Today, Jack F. Matlock, Jr.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Security: The Bottom Line Advocates of an early decision to deploy defenses against incoming warheads seem to believe that an effective system requires only a political decision and adequate funding. In fact, nothing could be further from...

By the numbers.
October 1, 2005... Arms Deliveries to Developing Nations, 1997-2004 Top Suppliers $69.3 Billion United States $31.3 Billion United Kingdom $27.4 Billion France $26.9 Billion Russia Top Recipients $54.7 Billion...

Chemical Weapons Convention.(Treaty Update)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Bhutan ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention on Aug. 18, becoming the last member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to ratify the treaty. Signatories to the convention pledge to abstain from the use, development,...

International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.(Treaty Update)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, which was approved by the UN General Assembly on April 13, opened for signature on Sept. 14. Russia became the first signatory, followed by 62 other nations. The...

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.(Treaty Update)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... A conference of states parties to the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) met for the fourth time to explore ways to facilitate the treaty's entry into force from Sept. 21-23 in New York. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer...

Missile Technology Control Regime.(Treaty Update)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... The voluntary Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) held its annual plenary Sept. 12-16 in Madrid. The 34 members welcomed nonmember India's July commitment to adhere unilaterally to MTCR guidelines on restricting missile transfers. The...

Sidestepping the Senate, President George W. Bush used the August congressional recess to install Eric S. Edelman as undersecretary of defense for policy and Peter Flory as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy.(Comings and Goings)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Sidestepping the Senate, President George W. Bush used the August congressional recess to install Eric S. Edelman as undersecretary of defense for policy and Peter Flory as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy. The...

Bush has nominated Alexander R. Vershbow as ambassador to South Korea.(Comings and Goings)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Bush has nominated Alexander R. Vershbow as ambassador to South Korea. William Joseph Burns has been confirmed to replace Vershbow in his previous post as U.S. ambassador to Russia.

Paul Longsworth.(Comings and Goings)(National Nuclear Security Administration )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Paul Longsworth has resigned after two years as deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration to take a position in the private sector.

John Hillen.(Comings and Goings)(assistant secretary of state )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Bush has nominated John Hillen to be assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs.

Tibor Toth.(Comings and Goings)(Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Ambassador Tibor Toth of Hungary has formally assumed his position as executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

On the calendar.(What's Ahead)(Calendar)
October 1, 2005... On the Calendar Oct. 3 - Nov. 1 UN General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) meets: 60th session, New York. Oct. 17 Nuclear Suppliers...

The U.S.-India nuclear deal: taking stock.
October 1, 2005... In a July 18 joint declaration, the United States and India resolved to establish a global strategic partnership. The joint declaration was a bold and radical move that was clearly motivated by and reflects the mutual interests of both states...

Brazil as litmus test: Resende and restrictions on uranium enrichment.
October 1, 2005... Seven years ago, Brazil joined the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Standing in the gilded treaty room on the top floor of the U.S. Department of State, then-Foreign Minister Luiz Felipe Lampreia formally deposited the instrument of...

Japan's plutonium reprocessing dilemma.
October 1, 2005... Ever since it was attacked with nuclear weapons six decades ago, Japan has been at the forefront of international nonproliferation efforts. Yet, as the world has focused recently on the dangers posed by some elements of the civilian nuclear...

North Korea talks achieve breakthrough.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
October 1, 2005... After more than two years of stop-and-go efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, six countries agreed Sept. 19 in Beijing on a joint statement of principles to guide future negotiations. The product of several weeks of tough...

Questions surround NK uranium program.(North Korea)
October 1, 2005... Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill told a U.S. Institute for Peace audience Sept. 28 that North Korea should provide a declaration of its nuclear programs including a suspected gas centrifuge-based...

Joint statement of the fourth round of the six-party talks.
October 1, 2005... Issued Sept. 19 by China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the United States. For the cause of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia at large, the six parties held in a spirit of mutual respect and...

IAEA cites Iran on safeguards failures.(International Atomic Energy Agency, nuclear program)
October 1, 2005... The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors adopted a resolution Sept. 24 finding Iran in "non-compliance" with its agency safeguards agreement. The resolution sets the stage for the board to refer the Iranian nuclear issue...

IAEA resolution on Iran.(International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors, nuclear program)
October 1, 2005... Following are key excerpts from a resolution on Iran's nuclear program passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors Sept. 24. 1. Finds that Iran's many failures and breaches of its obligations to comply with...

Agency report offers mixed view on Iran.(International Atomic Energy Agency)
October 1, 2005... Pressed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors to assess Iran's cooperation with a three-year-old agency investigation, Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei delivered a mixed assessment. ElBaradei noted in a...

U.S. failed to secure Iraq materials.(radiological materials )
October 1, 2005... The Department of Defense was not adequately prepared to locate, secure, collect, and remove radiological materials in Iraq until about six months after the U.S.-led March 2003 invasion, according to a September Government Accountability Office...

UNMOVIC details lessons learned.(United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Two recent reports from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) have provided some "lessons learned" that may help to improve future inspections of suspected chemical and biological weapons and missile programs. ...

U.S.-Indian nuclear prospects murky.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
October 1, 2005... U.S. lawmakers and foreign governments are questioning President George W. Bush's pledge this summer to engage in unrestricted civilian nuclear trade with India. Members of Congress are particularly concerned with India's failure to align...

United States retires MX missile.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
October 1, 2005... On Sept. 19, the United States retired the most powerful and, arguably, the most controversial ICBM in the U.S. arsenal, the MX, after nearly two decades of service. But the missile's various components could see a return to duty as the...

U.S. names alleged treaty violators.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
October 1, 2005... The Department of State charged several countries with violating their treaty obligations in a recently released report. Predictably, some of the accused refuted the allegations, but surprisingly the report also detailed a rift between U.S....

U.S. civilian reactor produces tritium.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
October 1, 2005... Departing from a long-standing U.S. tradition of separating civilian and military nuclear activities, Washington transferred tritium produced in a commercial nuclear reactor in late August to a Department of Energy facility in South Carolina...

State Department announces reorganization.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)(Bureau for International Security and Nonproliferation)
October 1, 2005... Department of State officials assert that the State Department's separate bureaus for arms control and nonproliferation no longer exist. Instead, they have been combined into the new Bureau for International Security and Nonproliferation. ...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
October 1, 2005... * In the Treaty Update section of the September 2005 issue of Arms Control Today, the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty was improperly identified as being signed in 1991. The treaty was signed in 1990. * The July/August issue of...

Nations remain split on disarmament.(THE WORLD)
October 1, 2005... This year, national governments have failed on several occasions to agree on measures to take steps toward disarmament, particularly of nuclear weapons. The latest setbacks occurred in September at a high-level meeting at the United Nations in...

UN pact weakens small arms commitment.(THE WORLD)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Missing from the final agreement of the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly was a pledge to craft a legal instrument to implement the UN's plan to combat the illicit trade in small arms. Earlier drafts had included such a pledge, but...

U.S. tops expanded arms market.(THE WORLD)
October 1, 2005... Worldwide conventional arms sales agreements climbed for the first time in four years in 2004, but one constant remained: the United States sold and exported more arms than any other state, a recently released Congressional Research Service...

Threat Reduction program extends reach to Ukrainian biological facilities.(EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION)(Nunn-Lugar Co-operative Threat Reduction program)
October 1, 2005... U.S. cooperation with Ukraine under the Nunn-Lugar Co-operative Threat Reduction (CTR) program was expanded Aug. 29 with an agreement to use U.S. CTR funds to improve security for pathogens stored at biological research and health facilities in...

BOOK REVIEW: The Muddle of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Strategy.(Nuclear Weapons and Strategy: U.S. Nuclear Policy for the Twenty-First Century)(Nuclear Inertia: US Nuclear Weapons Policy after the Cold War)(Book Review)
October 1, 2005... Nuclear Transformation: The New U.S. Nuclear Doctrine Edited by James J. Wirtz and Jeffrey A. Larsen Palgrave Macmillan, 2005, 288 pp. Nuclear Weapons and Strategy: U.S. Nuclear Policy for the Twenty-First Century By Stephen J....

In memoriam: Joseph Rotblat (1908-2005).(Obituary)
October 1, 2005... Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995, the anti-nuclear campaigner Joseph Rotblat concluded with words that he had repeated and lived by in one form or another for more than half a century: "Above all, remember your humanity." To...