Arms Control Today articles from September 2007

Arms Control Today archives from September 2007

Editor's note.(Editorial)
September 1, 2007... Our feature articles this month all touch in one way or another on the intersection of technology with arms control. Troubled by the possibility that terrorists might acquire and use widely available shoulder-fired missiles to down...

Fixing a flawed nuclear deal.(FOCUS)(United States-India nuclear cooperation agreement)
September 1, 2007... After months of contentious negotiations, U.S. and Indian officials recently concluded a formal agreement for nuclear cooperation that contradicts long-standing U.S. nuclear export policies and threatens the global nonproliferation order. ...

Notable quotable.(InBRIEF)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... "I have never claimed to understand the iconography here beyond the fact that it involves clusters of figures straining to accomplish something with little visible results, which may not be a totally inappropriate image for this room." ...

Disarming Iraq: nonmilitary strategies and options.(Five Years Ago in ACT)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The past success of inspectors indicates that a high level of confidence in Iraq's disarmament could be achieved if they were allowed to resume their work. The United States should push for the resumption of inspections in Iraq and also...

By the numbers.(InBRIEF)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) 40 MANPADS attacks against civilian aircraft since 1978 600 Civilians killed 21,000 MANPADS destroyed by the United States since 2003 1,000,000 MANPADS produced...

The use of voluntary safeguards to build trust in states' nuclear programmes: the case of Iran.(Reports of Note)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... James Acton with Joanna Little, Vertic Research Reports, No. 8, May 2007. This technical study lays out verification measures that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could enact to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons....

Pakistan appears to be building a third plutonium production reactor at Khushab nuclear site.(Reports of Note)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... David Albright and Paul Brannan, Institute for Science and International Security, June 2007. David Albright and Paul Brannan draw connections from recent developments in South Asia, revealing the contours of an accelerating arms race....

Additional protocol.(Treaty Update)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Although Congress approved implementing legislation last December that cleared the way for the United States to ratify and bring into force an additional protocol to its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),...

On the calendar.(What's Ahead)(Brief article)(Calendar)
September 1, 2007... Sept. 10-14 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meeting, Vienna. Sept. 17-21 IAEA General Conference, Vienna. Sept. 17-18 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Article XIV Conference, Vienna....

Countering the MANPADS threat: strategies for success.(man-portable air defense systems)
September 1, 2007... In 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell warned that "no threat is more serious to aviation" than lightweight, guided, portable surface-to-air missiles known as man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). (1) Since then, Powell's words have...

Convention in peril? Riot control agents and the Chemical Weapons Ban.
September 1, 2007... As the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) commemorates its 10th anniversary, states-parties have much to celebrate: the near universal status of the treaty, the destruction of major chemical-weapon stocks, and the establishment of an...

Nuclear technical cooperation: a right or a privilege?(Essay)
September 1, 2007... In November 2006, during its annual meeting to consider technical cooperation applications, the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 35-nation Board of Governors denied Iran's request for technical assistance for its Arak 40-megawatt...

U.S.-Indian nuclear deal advances.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
September 1, 2007... The United States and India completed negotiations July 27 on a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, edging them closer toward erasing long-standing U.S. and international nuclear trade restrictions on India. But before realizing that goal,...

NK shuts down reactor; talks progress.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)(North Korea)
September 1, 2007... In July, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that North Korea has shut down five facilities at Yongbyon and Taechon associated with Pyongyang's plutonium-based nuclear weapons program. The shutdown was the primary step in...

U.S. renews fighter exports to Pakistan.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
September 1, 2007... The United States recently delivered two used F-16B jets to Pakistan and announced plans to donate another two dozen. In a deal announced last September, the United States is also set to sell Pakistan 18 new F-16C/D fighters for delivery in...

U.S. and South Korea reach technology pact.(ASIA AND AUSTRALIA)
September 1, 2007... On Aug. 12, the United States and South Korea agreed to cooperate on the development of "Generation IV" nuclear reactors and new reprocessing technologies aimed at supporting worldwide growth in the use of nuclear energy. The United States is...

Arms issues divide U.S. and Russia.(EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION)
September 1, 2007... Russian President Vladimir Putin's midsummer visit to President George W. Bush's seaside family retreat in Maine netted one fish and little else. To be sure, the two governments took some bilateral nuclear cooperation steps but failed to...

U.S., UK sign Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty.(EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION)
September 1, 2007... On June 26, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush signed the Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty (DTCT). If ratified by both countries, the treaty would create a streamlined system for defense trade within a community...

U.S. cuts tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.(EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION)
September 1, 2007... The United States may have quietly removed all 130 nuclear weapons from its air force base in Ramstein, Germany. Before the withdrawal, Ramstein had been the biggest U.S. nuclear base in Europe. If true, the withdrawal means that there are...

Iran agrees on work plan with IAEA.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)(International Atomic Energy Agency)
September 1, 2007... In July and August, Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held three rounds of talks aimed at resolving a number of outstanding verification issues regarding Tehran's nuclear program. The talks concluded Aug. 21 with agreement...

Congress moves to impose Iran Sanctions.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
September 1, 2007... The House of Representatives July 31 passed two pieces of legislation tightening sanctions on Iran, in response to the international row over its nuclear ambitions. Both bills garnered broad bipartisan support. Further measures focused on Iran...

U.S. plans major Middle East arms sales.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
September 1, 2007... Citing threats from Iran, Syria, and various terrorist groups, the Bush administration is offering more than $60 billion in new weapons and military assistance to Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other U.S. allies in the Middle East. ...

Israel, neighbors mull nuclear power programs.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
September 1, 2007... Soon after the United States and India concluded negotiations on a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, Israeli officials announced in August that they too may be seeking U.S. help in furthering a civilian nuclear power program. The move...

France, Libya sign nuclear desalination deal.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
September 1, 2007... On his state visit to Libya, French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy cooperation with long-time Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. The July 25 memorandum clears the way for French access to Libyan...

Iran allegedly skirts Hezbollah arms ban.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
September 1, 2007... A year after the United Nations imposed a ban on arms sales to Hezbollah in the wake of its 2006 clash with Israel, the Shiite group in southern Lebanon is rearming. Iran and Syria have been implicated in the weapons buildup. UN...

Security Council ends UNMOVIC.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)(United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission)
September 1, 2007... On June 29, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution officially terminating the mandate of UN inspectors tasked with verifying and monitoring Iraq's disarmament. The inspectors had not been able to visit Iraq since a U.S.-led coalition...

Small arms raising concerns in Iraq.(THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA)
September 1, 2007... A pair of recent reports have raised concerns about the use and transfer of small arms in Iraq. A July 2007 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the Department of Defense could not fully account for at least 190,000 weapons...

Lawmakers knock new warhead report.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)
September 1, 2007... A recent Bush administration report intended to shore up congressional support for a flagging initiative to build a new nuclear warhead appears to have backfired. Key lawmakers blasted the report, and the program suffered another budget vote...

U.S. begins trimming ICBM fleet.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)(intercontinental ballistic missiles)
September 1, 2007... On July 12, Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, home to the largest ICBM force in the United States, began deactivating the first of 50 Minuteman III missiles slated for retirement. The United States will retain 450 Minuteman IIIs in service,...

White House nonproliferation office created.(THE UNITED STATES AND THE AMERICAS)(Office of United States Coordinator for Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism)
September 1, 2007... On Aug. 3, President George W. Bush signed into law measures designed to strengthen U.S. nuclear nonproliferation programs. Congress had approved the measures in late July as part of broader legislation aimed at implementing recommendations of...

Arms trade dips but still brisk in 2006.(THE WORLD)
September 1, 2007... Despite reporting to the United Nations a collective decline in their global arms transfers in 2006, arms suppliers posted the third-highest tally for major conventional weapons exports in 15 years. Arms buyers and sellers also volunteered more...

Kananaskis at five: assessing the Global Partnership.(LOOKING BACK)
September 1, 2007... The Group of Eight (G-8) industrial countries--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States--convened in Kananaskis, Canada, in 2002 for an annual summer summit and created a new and expanded entity,...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
September 1, 2007... On page 38 of Arms Control Today's July/August 2007 issue, the news article "ElBaradei: IAEA Budget Problems Dangerous" inaccurately reported a number of budget figures. The IAEA budget is denominated in euros. Multiplying the euro by 1.3 to...