"I find hope in the work of long-established groups such as the Arms Control Association...[and] I find hope in younger anti-nuclear activists and the movement around the world to formally ban the bomb."
Digests and Blog
By Daryl G. Kimball As he pushes sales of his memoir, George W. Bush's former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is trying, once again, to spin the facts about the "knowns" and the "unknowns" about Iraq's suspected nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programs in the months leading up to the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion. In an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer this week, Rumsfeld claimed "the intelligence was certainly wrong" and "we had reasonable confidence he had these weapons." In his Good Morning America interview with Rummy, George Stephanopolous asked the smart question: "But…
By Jeff Abramson This administration has launched an aggressive and comprehensive review of U.S. export control policy, which is no small task. With multiple bureaucracies playing a role in deciding what U.S. military and dual-use goods and services can be exported, and to whom, past efforts have generally failed to overcome national security concerns and stakeholder inertia. This administration may break the mold, but not in a good way. Export Control Reform: C- When first announced in August 2009, there was a sense that the effort could be coordinated with Congress. The White House…
By Jeff Abramson Today, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro will be in India to attend one of the world's largest arms shows in order "to increase significantly the volume and technological sophistication of U.S. defense sales to India." At the same time, events in Egypt are sparking a debate about the value of U.S. military assistance. It's a good time to ask how the Obama administration is doing on its approach to arms sales and trade. Arms Trade/Sales: D The Obama Arms Bazaar is open and operating at full speed. In 2010, the administration…
By Jeff Abramson At the end of this month, delegates will meet again at the United Nations to continue work on a legally binding accord to regulate the conventional arms trade. As we launch a week of assessing the Obama administration's conventional arms control record, we begin with: Arms Trade Treaty: B In 2009, the Obama administration broke with the Bush administration and voted to support the international effort to seek a legally binding global arms trade treaty (ATT). Last year at an ACA co-sponsored event, U.S. delegation head Ambassador Donald Mahley gave an address on behalf of…
By Jeff Abramson With news out of Egypt that U.S. manufactured goods are being used to suppress protests, an administration overhauling its export control system, and notifications to Congress in 2010 of record-breaking potential arms sales (including more than $60 billion to Saudi Arabia), now's a good time to ask what's going on with U.S. conventional arms control policies and practices. Not surprisingly, you won't find an answer in last week's state of the union speech address, which lacked any real talk of this administration's conventional arms control record and how it is…
By Tom Collina The Arms Control Association often finds itself at odds with Senate Republican Minority Whip Jon Kyl (Ariz.). After all, Sen. Kyl led opposition to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1999 and to New START last year, both of which ACA strongly supports. Even so, ACA prides itself on cultivating a civil, fact-based debate on policy issues, and we expect the same of others. We were thus disappointed to read Sen. Kyl's Jan. 31, 2011 floor speech in which he mischaracterized ACA's position. In his prepared remarks, Sen. Kyl stated that the Senate's Resolution of Ratification,…
Source: PBS Newshour By Tom Z. Collina New START is reaching the finish line. After three votes in Russia's lower house of parliament, or Duma, Russia's upper house, the Federation Council, gave unanimous final approval today. The U.S. Senate approved New START on Dec. 22. The only thing still standing in the way of the treaty's entry-into-force is the exchange of official documents, called "instruments of ratification" between Presidents Obama and Medvedev. This could happen in a matter of days. Inspections could resume by April Once the treaty is in force, the two sides have 45 days…
Image Source: White House By Rob Golan-Vilella Last night, President Barack Obama delivered his annual State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. As expected, the speech focused heavily on domestic and economic policy. With unemployment still over 9% and the national discussion still largely overshadowed by the fallout from the recent shootings in Tucson, it was unsurprising that foreign policy issues received little mention. Most of the comparatively brief section on foreign policy was devoted to terrorism and America's ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Still, Obama…
Tonight's State of the Union address is expected to focus mainly on domestic and economic topics. However, those looking to learn more about the state of arms control in the U.S. and abroad need look no further than this month's Arms Control Today. The January/February edition includes forward-looking policy-focused articles from: ? Bill Richardson With his three co-authors, Richardson-the former New Mexico governor, U.S. energy secretary, and ambassador to the UN-identifies important benchmarks for the U.S. as officials prepare for the 2012 nuclear security summit. ? Bonnie Jenkins The…
By Alfred Nurja The Arms Control Association has just put up the full transcript from our January 20 event entitled "Toward a Negotiated Solution," part of ACA's "Solving the Iranian Nuclear Puzzle" Briefing Series. The ACA's upcoming Iran briefing on "Impact and Limitation of Sanctions on Iran's Nuclear Choices" will take place in early March. To read the full transcript please click here.