Press Room

(Washington, D.C.)-The election of Hassan Rouhani as president of Iran provides a new and important opening for the United States and its P5+1 partners to secure an agreement that limits its nuclear capabilities in exchange for easing tough international sanctions.

Today, the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reached  agreement on a detailed plan for the expeditious accounting, inspection, control, and elimination of Syria’s sizable arsenal of chemical weapons, with provision for enforcement by the UN Security Council.

For reporters tracking the evolving story on Syria and diplomatic efforts to bring its chemical weapons under international control, the following resources are available on the Arms Control Association website.

The Arms Control Association (ACA) and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a panel that assessed Iran's nuclear capabilities and examined the elements required for a deal that could provide both sides with a "win-win" outcome.

(Washington, D.C.)  As international leaders prepare for a new round of talks with Tehran to secure an agreement that guards against a nuclear-armed Iran, the non-partisan Arms Control Association has updated its comprehensive, user-friendly guide to Iran's nuclear program and its capabilities, and the risks, benefits, and limitations of the available policy options.

(Washington, D.C.)--The deadly war for control of Syria has taken a gruesome turn for the worse with the heinous attack against civilian populations on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21. The available evidence, including credible reports from Doctors Without Borders, strongly suggests that the many injuries and deaths reported were the result of a major chemical weapons attack. In this instance, the use of chemicals was more significant and the casualties were greater than earlier suspected episodes involving chemical munitions--and more brazen given that UN inspectors had just arrived in Damascus.

A new report released today by the Arms Control Association (ACA) and Partnership for Global Security (PGS), finds that the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process has catalyzed action to secure nuclear weapons-usable materials, but the largely nationally-focused efforts to date are inadequate, and leading governments must begin building the framework for a cohesive international nuclear security governance system.

President Barack Obama's proposals today in Berlin for cutting the oversized U.S. nuclear arsenal and reducing global nuclear weapons dangers are welcome and overdue.

In the modern age, U.S. presidents have delivered dozens of addresses on international peace and security, but few have been as profound or consequential as John F. Kennedy's "Strategy of Peace" address delivered 50 years ago on June 10 on the campus of American University in Washington.

On Monday, June 3, representatives from dozens of states will gather at the United Nations to sign the new Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The ATT will for the first time establish common international standards that must be met before states authorize transfers of conventional weapons or export ammunition and weapons parts and components.

Today, the independent, Arm Control Association welcomed the United Nations General Assembly's endorsement of the new Arms Trade Treaty, which will for the first time establish common international standards that must be met before states authorize transfers of conventional weapons or export ammunition and weapons parts and components. The treaty will be open for signature beginning in June.

Today, the independent, Arm Control Association welcomed the new, compromise Arms Trade Treaty text that has emerged from two intense weeks of final negotiations and years of multilateral talks among the 193 members states of the United Nations.

(United Nations, NY)--Today, arms control analysts welcomed the new, compromise Arms Trade Treaty text that has emerged from intense negotiations and that states may endorse on the final day of the March 18-28 UN diplomatic conference.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—Nongovernmental leaders pressed President Barack Obama today to provide the support necessary to conclude an effective Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which is up for renegotiation at the UN this spring (March 18-28). The ATT will regulate the cross border trade of conventional weapons by closing the loopholes in the current international system.

(Washington, D.C.) As the United States and other international leaders continue to pursue a range of strategies to head-off the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran, the non-partisan Arms Control Association has produced a comprehensive, entry-level guide to Iran's nuclear program and its capabilities, and the risks, benefits, and limitations of the available policy options.

(Washington, D.C.) General James Cartwright garnered the highest number of votes in an online poll to determine the "2012 Arms Control Person of the Year." Nine other individuals and institutions were nominated by the staff of the Arms Control Association for their achievements and contributions.

Since 1971, the Arms Control Association has promoted practical solutions to address the dangers posed by the world's most dangerous weapons-nuclear, biological, and chemical, as well as certain types of conventional arms.

The following piece was originally published at Foreign Policy on December 12, 2012

President Obama's policy of "strategic patience" has failed to seize fleeting diplomatic opportunities and has, unsurprisingly, not worked. It's time to make a mid-course adjustment by resuming earlier efforts to negotiate curbs on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, and imposing further sanctions to affect Pyongyang's bargaining calculus.

(Washington, D.C.) The Arms Control Association, in association with the UK Government and the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation, organized a day-long conference on February 17, 2012 in Vienna, Austria, to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). This conference report details the value of the CTBT and explores pathways to its entry into force.

Fifty years after the Cuban missile crisis almost led to nuclear war, nuclear weapons still pose enormous risks to U.S. and global security. Today, there still are nearly 20,000 nuclear weapons, and there are nine nuclear-armed states. More countries have access to the technologies needed to produce nuclear bomb material, and the threat of nuclear terrorism is real.