Arms Control Today articles from September 2005

Arms Control Today archives from September 2005

Editor's note.
September 1, 2005... Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over." That certainly is the case when it comes to many of the political and diplomatic battles over how to deal with the world's most dangerous weapons and technologies. Nearly three decades...

U.S.-India nuclear cooperation: a reality check.(FOCUS)
September 1, 2005... Leaders in Washington and New Delhi claim their July 18 civil nuclear cooperation and nonproliferation deal is a transformational event that will deepen the ties between the two countries and strengthen the effort to stop the spread of nuclear...

Notable quotable.(InBRIEF)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... "We deeply regret that the Russian Federation has shipped nuclear fuel to the Tarapur power reactors in India in violation of Russia's nonproliferation commitments.... Although India's Tarapur reactors are under International Atomic Energy...

The presidential election forum: the candidates on arms control.(Five Years Ago in ACT)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... It is important for the United States and our allies to keep the pressure on Saddam Hussein. We must insist that Iraq comply with the cease-fire arrangement agreed to at the end of the Persian Gulf War. I am very concerned that Saddam Hussein...

By the numbers.(expert opinion survey on proliferation threats and responses)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Expert opinion survey on proliferation threats and responses 79 percent The government is not spending enough on nonproliferation. 78 percent One or two nations will come into possession of nuclear weapons in the next five...

Chemical Weapons Convention.(Treaty Update)(Cambodia)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cambodia ratified the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) July 19, committing never to use, develop, acquire, or transfer chemical weapons. Grenada also ratified the CWC June 3. One hundred and seventy states are now party to the convention....

Convention on certain conventional weapons.(Treaty Update)(2003 Protocol V on explosive remnants of war)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... On June 13, Luxembourg joined the convention's 2003 Protocol V on explosive remnants of war. Denmark joined Protocol V on June 23, and the Netherlands joined on July 18. The protocol, which has 11 signatories, details countries'...

Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty.(Treaty Update)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Aconvoy of Russian armed forces departed Georgia in July as Moscow started a military pullout, which is to be completed by the end of 2008. The Kremlin originally agreed to close its Soviet-era bases inside the former Soviet republic in...

Proliferation Security Initiative.(Treaty Update)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The United States recently signed reciprocal shipboarding agreements with Cyprus and Belize as part of the voluntary Proliferation Security Initiative. The agreements establish expedited procedures for stopping and searching vessels flying the...

UN Nuclear Terrorism Convention.(Treaty Update)(2005 UN International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... On Aug. 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill requiring the Russian government to adopt the 2005 UN International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. The convention makes it a crime for terrorists to possess...

Diversion of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons Expertise From the Former Soviet Union.(Reports of Note)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Diversion of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons Expertise From the Former Soviet Union By John V. Parachini et al. Rand, June 2005. U.S. programs aimed at preventing a "brain drain" of weapons expertise from the former Soviet...

U.S. Weapons at War 2005: Promoting Freedom or Fueling Conflict?(Reports of Note)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... U.S. Weapons at War 2005: Promoting Freedom or Fueling Conflict? By Frida Berrigan and William D. Hartung, with Leslie Heffel. World Policy Institute, June 2005. The United States is by far the world's largest producer and exporter of...

What's ahead: on the calendar.
September 1, 2005... Sept. 19-23 International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors meeting, Vienna. Sept. 21-23 Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, New York. Sept. 26-30...

Is U.S. reprocessing worth the risk?(spent nuclear fuels)
September 1, 2005... Nearly three decades ago, the United States swore off the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel because it cost too much and put separated plutonium into circulation. Now, some in Congress want to launch a massive program to reprocess the spent...

The role of U.S. nuclear weapons: new doctrine falls short of Bush pledge.(George W. Bush)
September 1, 2005... A nuclear draft doctrine written by the Pentagon calls for maintaining an aggressive nuclear posture with weapons on high alert to strike adversaries armed with weapons of mass destruction (WMD), pre-emptively if necessary. The doctrine,...

Between noble goals and sobering reality: an interview with EU nonproliferation chief Annalisa Giannella.(Interview)
September 1, 2005... In October 2003, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana appointed Annalisa Giannella as his personal representative on nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Her main job is to oversee the implementation of the European Strategy...

Bush promises India nuclear cooperation.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)(president George W. Bush)
September 1, 2005... Breaking with nearly three decades of U.S. nonproliferation policy, President George W. Bush has charted a course for the United States to pursue full-scale civil nuclear cooperation with India. But domestic and foreign policymakers who would...

North Korea talks resume, then stall.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
September 1, 2005... Meeting for the first time in more than a year, the United States, North Korea, and four other countries failed to reach agreement on a statement of principles to guide negotiations to end the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula. At the...

More than a decade of U.S.-North Korean nuclear tensions: the recent round of nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea follows more than a decade of nuclear tensions between the two countries.(CHRONOLOGY)
September 1, 2005... First Nuclear Crisis In 1992 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) uncovered evidence that North Korea had understated the amount of plutonium it had separated from spent fuel generated by its graphite-moderated nuclear reactor at...

United States unsure of Chinese military's modernization aims.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
September 1, 2005... Beijing's military capabilities are growing but with what end remains unclear to the United States, according to an annual Pentagon assessment of China's armed forces. The report's release coincided with conflicting Chinese statements about...

Iran restarts uranium conversion.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
September 1, 2005... Iran's August restart of its uranium-conversion facility near Isfahan has set the stage for a diplomatic showdown this month. Iran's action ended a suspension that had been part of a November agreement with France, Germany, and the United...

Iran's nuclear abilities limited.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
September 1, 2005... Tehran's Aug. 1 announcement of its decision to restart its uranium-conversion facility near Isfahan has raised concerns that Tehran intends to produce highly enriched uranium (HEU) for nuclear weapons. But three recent U.S. intelligence...

U.S., Israel reach China arms deal.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
September 1, 2005... The United States and Israel announced Aug. 16 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to ease disputes over past Israeli arms sales to China and to govern future arms trade between Israel and some foreign countries. The action comes...

State department reorganization advances.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
September 1, 2005... Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced July 29 that she plans to reconfigure how her department is organized to better reduce and limit the spread of arms worldwide. But lawmakers have held up implementation of the changes while they...

Bush gives Bolton recess appointment.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)(George W. Bush appoints John Bolton as US ambassador to UN)
September 1, 2005... President George W. Bush used a recess appointment to install John Bolton as U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations Aug. 1, circumventing primarily Democratic opposition after a bruising five-month Senate battle. The recess...

United States eyes proliferators' assets.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
September 1, 2005... Buying, selling, and transporting biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, as well as their related materials and components, requires money. At the end of June, the Bush administration unveiled a new measure intended to make funding for such...

Missile defense aims to hit target in '06.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
September 1, 2005... Those waiting to see if the Pentagon's long-range, groundbased ballistic missile defense system can once again intercept a mock warhead in flight will have to wait until next year. After three straight flight-test failures, the Pentagon's...

U.S. urges Nicaraguan arms destruction.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)(Man-Portable Air Defense Systems)
September 1, 2005... The United States is withholding military aid to Nicaragua until it eliminates its stockpile of shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles, known as Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADs). A staple of many militaries' air defense arsenals for...

Hill split on CTBTO funding.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)(Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization)
September 1, 2005... The House and Senate are at odds over the Bush administration's proposal to cut funds that would go to the preparatory commission of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the international group tasked with eventually...

Hill weakens uranium export rules.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
September 1, 2005... President George W. Bush signed legislation into law Aug. 8 relaxing limits on the export of highly enriched uranium (HEU) to Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Although some U.S. officials support the change as critical to...

No consensus on nuclear supply rules.(THE WORLD)
September 1, 2005... Broad agreement exists among the world's nuclear suppliers that additional measures are needed to guard against their nuclear exports being diverted illicitly to build nuclear weapons, but they failed to reach consensus on appropriate changes...

Plutonium disposition accord reached.(THE WORLD)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... In July, U.S. and Russian negotiators reached an agreement in principle to resolve a long-standing dispute on a joint program to dispose of excess bomb-making materials. The deal clears one hurdle for the program's implementation, but others...

States vow to update nuclear materials pact.(THE WORLD)(1980 Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material )
September 1, 2005... Demonstrating what International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei called "a global commitment to remedy weaknesses in our nuclear security regime," delegates from 89 counties July 8 decided to adopt measures to...

BWC meeting tackles codes of conduct.(THE WORLD)(Biological Weapons Convention)
September 1, 2005... As experts seek to find ways to prevent advances in biotechnology research from being misused for weapons, many have urged the creation of codes of conduct for scientists. But there is little agreement on how such a code should be enforced or...

Arms Trade Treaty future uncertain.(THE WORLD)
September 1, 2005... A year-old British initiative to regulate the global conventional arms trade is gaining some support, but top arms suppliers have yet to embrace it and the United States has questioned its value. Last September, British Foreign Minister...

Looking back: the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission.
September 1, 2005... The UN Security Council is soon expected to debate the future of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC). The question facing the Security Council is whether to close down and dismantle the organization or to put its...