Arms Control Today articles from September 2003

Arms Control Today archives from September 2003

Iraq's WMD: myth and reality.(Focus)
September 1, 2003... The 2003 "pre-emptive" war against Iraq has been lauded by its proponents as a new model to address growing dangers posed by "rogue" states with weapons of mass destruction (WMD). To this day, senior U.S. officials such as Undersecretary of...

What happened to Saddam's weapons of mass destruction?(Feature Articles)
September 1, 2003... "It's sort of puzzling that you can have 100 percent confidence about WMD existence, but zero certainty about where they are."--Hans Blix to the Council on Foreign Relations June 23, 2003 With a new and perhaps final phase of the U.S. and...

Nuclear India at the crossroads.(Feature Articles)
September 1, 2003... Five years after first publicly testing nuclear weapons, India stands at a critical point in its strategic path. It faces today a crucial choice between maintaining a minimal deterrent and expanding its arsenal so as to sustain a Cold War-style...

Curbing proliferation from emerging suppliers: export controls in India and Pakistan.(Feature Articles)
September 1, 2003... Reducing nuclear and other proliferation dangers in South Asia is a crucial goal for the international community. Thus far, maximum international attention regarding India and Pakistan has focused on two approaches: one, encouraging bilateral...

Controversy grows surrounding prewar intel.(Iraq Special)
September 1, 2003... FUELED BY A White House admission that discredited intelligence was used in President George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union address, the Bush administration's prewar claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have come...

Blair testifies; British intelligence crisis continues.(Iraq Special)
September 1, 2003... WHILE THE BUSH administration faces criticism about its handling of intelligence on Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair's government has endured a summer of political crisis over the issue. The debate has centered around a dossier on Iraq's...

Bush's claims about Iraq's nuclear program.(Iraq Special)
September 1, 2003... VICE PRESIDENT DICK Cheney stated three days before U.S.-led coalition forces invaded Iraq this past March that Iraq "has reconstituted nuclear weapons." At the time, however, intelligence and other U.S. officials already disagreed about the...

Countries meet to discuss N Korean nuclear standoff.(News And Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... THE UNITED STATES and North Korea participated in multilateral talks August 27-29 in Beijing to discuss issues surrounding North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The discussions, which also included China, South Korea, Russia, and Japan, marked...

U.S. lawmakers, officials seek end to NK nuclear aid.(News And Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... AS DIPLOMATS SEEK to negotiate an end to North Korea's nuclear weapons program, some U.S. lawmakers and Bush administration officials are pushing to end a program designed to provide North Korea with civilian nuclear energy. Since last...

Countries draft guidelines for intercepting proliferation.(News And Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... THE UNITED STATES and 10 of its closest allies are drafting a document of principles to guide their efforts to interdict shipments of weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles, and related technologies to terrorists and states of concern....

IAEA to discuss advances in Iran's nuclear program.(News And Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors will hold a crucial meeting on Iran's clandestine nuclear activities this month to address concerns that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program. The meeting comes after the...

IAEA report highlights inconsistencies in Iranian statements about its nuclear programs.(News And Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... ON AUGUST 26, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report saying that "there remain a number of important outstanding issues," about Tehran's nuclear programs that require "urgent resolution." The report updates the...

Excerpts from the IAEA August 26, 2003 report.(News And Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... D. Findings, Assessments and Next Steps 47. In connection with the nuclear material imported by Iran in 1991, Iran has submitted ICRs, PILs and MBRs, as well as relevant DIQs. The Agency has verified nuclear material presented to it and is...

Bush emphasis on proliferation sanctions stirs debate.(News And Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... IN A RADICAL departure from its predecessor's practice, the Bush administration has been gung-ho about imposing proliferation sanctions, levying penalties against foreign companies and individuals 34 times in 2002 and 21 times so far this year....

U.S. imposes sanctions on China, North Korea.(News And Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... IN JULY, PAULA DeSutter, U.S. assistant secretary of state for verification and compliance, testified that China has so far failed to implement and enforce acceptable export controls. Meanwhile, the United States imposed sanctions on five...

Bush record on proliferation sanctions.(News And Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... CAN MORE FLIES be caught with honey or vinegar? The Bush and Clinton administrations would undoubtedly answer the question differently. Since taking office, the Bush administration has taken a different tack to dealing with proliferation...

House slashes nuclear weapons budget request.(News And Negotiation)
September 1, 2003... CITING A "FLAWED budget process," the House of Representatives July 18 overwhelmingly approved a fiscal year 2004 appropriations bill that slashes President George W. Bush's request for funds needed to conduct earth-penetrating nuclear weapons...

Representative Weldon, Pentagon spar over proposed Nuclear Strategy Commission in DOD bill.(News And Negotiation)
September 1, 2003... THE PENTAGON IS seeking to block an effort by Representative Curt Weldon (R-PA) to form a Commission on Nuclear Strategy, which would offer recommendations on nuclear policy and military requirements to the secretary of defense as well as to...

Liability concerns jeopardize renewal of nonproliferation programs with Russia.(News And Negotiation)
September 1, 2003... TWO U.S.-RUSSIAN nuclear security programs administered by the Department of Energy (DOE) could be terminated because U.S. officials refuse to continue them under existing liability agreements that are deemed inadequate. DOE officials...

NNSA folds advisory council.(News And Negotiation)
September 1, 2003... IN A SURPRISE decision, the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) shut down an advisory committee established to review the agency's research and development portfolio and make recommendations for strengthening its...

Missile defense booster flies.(News And Negotiation)
September 1, 2003... WITH THE TARGET date for deploying the initial elements of a strategic ground-based missile defense system about one year away, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) conducted on August 16 the first flight test of a prototype booster that is meant...

For second year running, U.S. a no-show at CTBT conference.(News And Negotiation)
September 1, 2003... FOR THE SECOND consecutive time, the United States will not send a delegation to a meeting of states belonging to the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which seeks to ban all forms of explosive nuclear testing. Many member states will...

U.S. biodefense plans worry nonproliferation advocates.(News and Negotiations)
September 1, 2003... THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S efforts to combat bioterrorism are sparking concerns over the dangers enhanced biodefense programs might pose to the nonproliferation regime. New biodefense plans drawn up in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist...

Status of ERW instrument remains uncertain.
September 1, 2003... Diplomats negotiating a new agreement on cleaning up abandoned and unexploded munitions will not likely decide on whether it should be legally binding until the last days of the talks. The negotiations are taking place within the framework...

Missile defense funding eases through Congress.
September 1, 2003... In defense appropriation bills passed separately by the Senate and House of Representatives in July, lawmakers essentially matched the Bush administration's earlier $9.1 billion missile defense budget request for fiscal year 2004. The...

Anniston begins burning chemical weapons.
September 1, 2003... Despite vocal opposition from some members of an Alabama community, the Anniston Army Depot began burning rockets that had been filled with sarin nerve agent August 9 and started incinerating the sarin itself August 31. The action was a first...

Three Asian countries to get U.S. missiles.
September 1, 2003... The U.S. government has approved the delivery of advanced air combat missiles to Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore after agreeing to sell the missiles to the three countries a few years ago. When the missiles will actually be transferred is...

Small arms meeting addresses progress, pitfalls.
September 1, 2003... Much work remains to be done in the effort to curb illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, according to representatives of governments and nongovernmental organizations who met in New York City July 7-11. The meeting was organized to...

Russia clinches jet sale to Malaysia.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Russia will deliver 18 advanced combat aircraft to Malaysia in a deal concluded between the two countries during Russian President Vladimir Putin's August 5 visit to the Southeast Asian country. The estimated $900 million deal commits...

U.S. disposes of weapons-usable fissile material.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced that it achieved significant milestones in two programs: a project to convert weapons-grade fissile material to nuclear fuel for power stations and the cleanup of a former U.S. nuclear weapons...

Russian sub patrols sink to zero in 2002.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Russia did not send any ballistic submarine patrols out to sea in 2002 but restarted the patrols in 2003, according to the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), which monitors Russian fleet movements. According to documents procured...

Russia acquires Soviet-era missiles from Ukraine.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Ukraine has transferred Soviet-made SS-19 missiles to Russia, Interfax-Military news service reported July 25, but it is unclear exactly when the transfer occurred or how many missiles were involved. Each SS-19 missile can carry up to six...

Countries meet to present progress in ballistic missile reduction.
September 1, 2003... More than 100 countries aim to share information on their ballistic missile programs by the end of September, but it is uncertain whether some countries, including the United States, will present their reports by that time. Meeting June...