tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75095875180195765492024-02-19T00:55:57.169-05:00Readers Forum - Arms Control TodayThe editors of <I>Arms Control Today</I> often receive letters commenting on the features and news published in the magazine, but do not always have the space to reproduce them. We are happy to create this forum as a place for that discussion. (Please note that this is a moderated forum and that comments may not appear immediately.)Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.comBlogger387125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-81110665165788861962010-03-03T15:24:00.000-05:002010-03-03T15:25:01.030-05:00March 2010Comment below on any article in the January-February 2010 edition of <span style="font-style: italic;">Arms Control Today</span>. At the start of your comment, please indicate the article title and author to which you are responding.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-81961891682941330402010-01-12T22:08:00.001-05:002010-01-12T22:10:47.984-05:00January-February 2010Comment below on any article in the January-February 2010 edition of <span style="font-style: italic;">Arms Control Today</span>. At the start of your comment, please indicate the article title and author to which you are responding.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-69322615936163319352009-12-04T11:44:00.001-05:002009-12-04T11:44:43.820-05:00A New STARTBy Daryl Kimball<br /><br />After eight rounds of talks over nine months, U.S. and Russian negotiators are expected to complete work this month on a new strategic nuclear arms reduction deal that would replace the highly successful 1991 START, which expires Dec. 5.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/focus">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-61155484532786157972009-12-04T11:42:00.000-05:002009-12-04T11:43:15.913-05:00Key CFE Obstacles are Not "Subregional"By Peter Perenyi<br /><br />Wolfgang Zellner’s thoughtful article (“Can This Treaty Be Saved? Breaking the Stalemate on Conventional Forces in <st1:place st="on">Europe</st1:place>,” September 2009) reminds us of the contribution to European security that could result from resolving the impasse over the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. However, the article’s analysis of contentious issues in discussions of the treaty is mistaken in distinguishing between “Euro-strategic” issues, including NATO enlargement and its effect on the European conventional force balance, and two ostensibly “subregional” issues. The distinction has important implications for policy decisions on how to approach the impasse and craft solutions to it.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/LettertoEditor">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-88042149337354664612009-12-04T11:40:00.001-05:002009-12-04T11:41:24.264-05:00Iran's Growing Weapons Capability and Its Impact on NegotiationsBy David Albright and Jacqueline Shire<br /><br />The crisis over <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s growing nuclear weapons capabilities is rapidly reaching a critical point. Recent developments do not bode well for the prospect of successful negotiations that can end concerns about <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s nuclear program, at least in the short term.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/AlbrightShire">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-8988594614930565642009-12-04T11:37:00.000-05:002009-12-04T11:38:35.565-05:00Iran and the Problem of Tactical MyopiaJim Walsh, Thomas Pickering, and William Luers<br /><br />It seems that every conversation about <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a conversation about sanctions. Even in the midst of negotiations, the talk is as likely to be about the sanctions that might follow as it is about the negotiation itself. This is an odd and unfortunate state of affairs.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/WalshPickeringLuers">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-81445954711268411992009-12-04T11:35:00.001-05:002009-12-04T11:36:17.868-05:00Using Stronger Sanctions to Increase Negotiating Leverage with IranBy Orde F. Kittrie<br /><br />Six days after his inauguration, President Barack Obama declared that “if countries like <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place> are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us.” Over the 10 months since then, the Obama administration has followed up on the January 26 declaration with numerous friendly gestures to the Iranian regime.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/Kittrie">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-35051227390828785012009-12-04T11:32:00.000-05:002009-12-04T11:33:14.994-05:00Winning on Ballisitic Missiles but Losing on Cruise: The Missile Proliferation BattleBy Dennis M. Gormley<br /><br />Because Europe and the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> forces based there face a near-term ballistic missile threat, President Barack Obama’s decision to abandon a Bush-era missile defense plan makes good sense. In contrast to President George W. Bush’s approach, which focused primarily on a few potential ICBMs, Obama’s is more suited to <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s growing arsenal of medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/Gormley">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-89316296703488536462009-12-04T11:28:00.001-05:002009-12-04T11:29:13.549-05:00German Nuclear Stance Stirs DebateBy Oliver Meier<br /><br />The German government’s explicit support for the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from <st1:country-region st="on">Germany</st1:country-region> has triggered a debate within NATO and revealed differences among <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Germany</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s governing parties, official statements and comments during interviews suggest. NATO allies will now have to debate the German initiative and the future of <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> nuclear deployments in <st1:place st="on">Europe</st1:place> during the current review of NATO’s Strategic Concept.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/GermanNuclearStance">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-40974128410860566082009-12-04T11:26:00.001-05:002009-12-04T11:27:44.834-05:00U.S., Russia Poised for Arsenal CutsBy Tom Z. Collina<br /><br />President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Nov. 15 they expect to sign a new arms control treaty to replace START by the end of December.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/USRussiaArsenalCuts">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-13607356847416464632009-12-04T11:25:00.002-05:002009-12-04T11:25:48.597-05:00Russia Plans Changes to Military DoctrineBy Luke Champlin and Volha Charnysh<br /><br /><st1:country-region st="on">Russia</st1:country-region> is planning to revise its military doctrine, last updated in 2000, according to a series of statements from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s National Security Council. The draft, titled “The New Face of the Russian Armed Forces Until 2030,” is expected to be presented to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for approval by the end of the year.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/RussiaDoctrine">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-22456664657365237072009-12-04T11:23:00.000-05:002009-12-04T11:24:25.016-05:00Scientists See Stockpile Lasting for DecadesBy Tom Z. Collina<br /><br />Weighing in on a long-simmering debate within the <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> government, an influential panel of scientists has found “no evidence” that extending the lives of existing <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> nuclear weapons leads to reduced confidence that the weapons will work. The panel, known as JASON, found that the “[l]ifetimes of today’s nuclear warheads could be extended for decades, with no anticipated loss in confidence,” according to an unclassified summary of the report.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/JASON">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-77640732232928296272009-12-04T11:22:00.000-05:002009-12-04T11:23:02.472-05:00IAEA Rebukes Iran Over Secret FacilityBy Peter Crail<br /><br />The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors last month called on <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place> to stop constructing a previously secret uranium-enrichment facility revealed in September. The Nov. 27 resolution, which came during the board’s quarterly meeting in <st1:city st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Vienna</st1:country-region></st1:city>, was the governors’ first on <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place> in nearly four years.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/IAEAIran">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-32896643356438196062009-12-04T11:20:00.001-05:002009-12-04T11:21:32.205-05:00IAEA Disputes Syrian Uranium ClaimsBy Peter Crail<br /><br />An analysis by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) disputed <st1:country-region st="on">Syria</st1:country-region>’s explanation for the presence of man-made uranium particles at a reactor in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Damascus</st1:place></st1:city>, according to a Nov. 16 agency report. The results of environmental sampling carried out at the reactor in August 2008 “do not support <st1:country-region st="on">Syria</st1:country-region>’s earlier explanation for the origin and presence of the particles,” the report said.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/IAEASyria">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-77734045981445748172009-12-04T11:18:00.000-05:002009-12-04T11:19:37.178-05:00U.S. Takes New Stance on Some Issues at UNBy Cole Harvey<br /><br />The Obama administration’s voting record this year at the First Committee of the UN General Assembly marked a departure from the Bush administration in several key ballots. In other votes, however, the new administration’s vote was the same as its predecessor’s.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/USUN">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-58909084451334779082009-12-04T11:17:00.000-05:002009-12-04T11:18:00.553-05:00Work on Cluster Munitions Extended AgainBy Jeff Abramson<br /><br />In what has now become an annual occurrence, delegates to a meeting of states-parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) agreed in November to continue work on proposals specifically addressing cluster munitions after failing to reach consensus during the past year. Meanwhile, a different treaty on the weapons grew closer to the number of ratifying states needed for its entry into force, drawing into question the role of future CCW efforts on the topic.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/ClusterWork">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-31432793580271190862009-12-04T11:14:00.001-05:002009-12-04T11:16:16.932-05:00Countries Ban Investment in Cluster MunitionsBy Andrew Fisher<br /><br />Pursuing what some say is a logical step required for the implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), several countries have taken action at the national level by barring investment in companies that produce cluster munitions.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/ClusterDivestment">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-73832888335335697092009-12-04T11:11:00.002-05:002009-12-04T11:12:06.877-05:00U.S. to Send Senior Envoy to PyongyangBy Peter Crail<br /><br />The <st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region> has agreed to send a senior diplomat to <st1:city st="on">Pyongyang</st1:city> Dec. 8 for bilateral discussions with <st1:country-region st="on">North Korea</st1:country-region> to return that country to multilateral talks on denuclearization, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> officials announced last month. The announcement came just before President Barack Obama made his first trip to <st1:place st="on">Asia</st1:place> Nov. 12-19. The North Korean nuclear issue was high on the agenda in meetings with leaders in the region, <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> officials said.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_12/NorthKorea">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-55844447038977475302009-11-06T10:01:00.000-05:002009-11-06T10:02:28.976-05:00Why We Don't Need To Resume Nuclear Testing: A Reply to Senator Jon KylBy Daryl G. Kimball<br /><br />Twenty years ago this month, the Berlin Wall came down, hastening the end of the Cold War. Less than three years later, Moscow and Washington agreed to halt nuclear testing. In 1996, after more than 2,000 nuclear test explosions, the world’s nations concluded the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in order to prevent proliferation and help end the nuclear arms race.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/focus">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-66315776137232591882009-11-06T09:59:00.001-05:002009-11-06T10:01:00.108-05:00An Interview With Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen TauscherInterviewed by Daniel Horner and Tom Z. Collina<br /><br />Ellen Tauscher was sworn in June 27 as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. Before that, she represented her northern <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state> district for 13 years in the House, where she served on the Armed Services Committee. From 2007, she chaired the panel’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee. <p><i>Arms Control Today</i> spoke with Tauscher in her office October 21. The interview covered a range of issues in Tauscher’s portfolio, from strategic arms control to plans for an international fuel bank.</p><p>Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/TauscherInterview">here</a> to return to the full article.<br /></p>Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-85070883304491431562009-11-06T09:57:00.000-05:002009-11-06T09:58:42.131-05:00The Role of Nuclear Weapons: Japan, the U.S., and “Sole Purpose”By Masa Takubo<br /><br />On September 22, a day before President Barack Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in New York, 13 nongovernmental U.S. security experts released an open letter calling on the two leaders “to support a U.S. policy declaring that the only purpose of nuclear weapons is to deter, and if necessary respond to, the use of nuclear weapons by other countries.”[<a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/Takubo#1">1</a>]<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/Takubo">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-61186974082107624102009-11-06T09:56:00.000-05:002009-11-06T09:57:00.658-05:00Weighing the Case For a Convention to Limit CyberwarfareBy David Elliott<br /><br />Cyberattack is emerging as a new type of nonlethal weapon that can cause substantial harm to society, especially when used in its most advanced version by countries at war. It may be time to consider an international convention to limit the initiation of such use, particularly against targets that are part of critical national infrastructure and are basically civilian.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/Elliott">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-12581058829525283182009-11-06T09:54:00.000-05:002009-11-06T09:55:28.961-05:00Dismissing Doomsday<b><i>Atomic Obsession: Nuclear Alarmism From <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Hiroshima</st1:place></st1:city> to Al-Qaeda<br /><br /></i></b>Reviewed by <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/BookReview#bio">Gerard DeGroot</a><br /><br />Every year, I teach a course on the atom bomb. At the end of each semester, I ask my students to tell me at what point the world came closest to nuclear Armageddon. The answers are usually predictable: the Cuban missile crisis, the Yom Kippur War, the Indo-Pakistani conflict. One year, however, I got a very different response.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/BookReview">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-69411212341488737872009-11-06T09:51:00.001-05:002009-11-06T09:51:50.555-05:00News Analysis: Officials Air Views on Key Stockpile IssueBy Tom Z. Collina and Daniel Horner<br /><br />As the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) moves toward completion in the coming months, the Obama administration is grappling with a major question about the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Given the stated need to maintain the arsenal for the foreseeable future, can the United States reliably maintain existing warhead designs, or will the country eventually need new ones?<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/NewsAnalysis">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509587518019576549.post-16845570637192682562009-11-06T09:49:00.000-05:002009-11-06T09:50:24.877-05:00Congress Funds Nonproliferation WorkBy Cole Harvey and Daniel Horner<br /><br />Congress largely approved President Barack Obama’s nuclear nonproliferation budget, with some small adjustments, when both chambers approved the fiscal year 2010 energy and water development appropriations bill last month.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/Congress">here</a> to return to the full article.Arms Control Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03296374903888454510noreply@blogger.com0