Arms Control Now Blog

Authored by on September 13, 2016

The Stimson Center and the Arms Control Association hosted a panel discussion about the history and progress of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) 20 years after it was signed on September 24, 1996. To date, 183 states have signed the treaty. Represented in the panel were senior officials from states that have been strong supporters of the treaty over the past 20 years. Rose Gottemoeller, the undersecretary for arms control and international security and Adam Scheinman, the special representative of the president of nuclear nonproliferation reiterated the United States’ strong…

Authored by on September 9, 2016

North Korea conducted its fifth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 8. The test was met with international condemnation and calls for increased sanctions on North Korea. Russia issued “the strongest possible condemnation,” and both Japan and the United States condemned the test in “the strongest possible terms” in official statements following the test. The UN Security Council convened on Sept. 9 in an emergency session to discuss the test. “The test explosion is yet another unpleasant reminder that the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear program continues to grow. Current…

Authored by on September 8, 2016

The first Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing dealing with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in over a decade took place on September 7. Attendance was high, with Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) presiding, ranking Democrat Senator Cardin (D-Md.), and Senators Risch (R-Idaho), Rubio (R-Fla.), Flake (R-Ariz.), Perdue (R-Ga.), Menendez (D-N.J.), Shaheen (D-N.H.), Murphy (D-Conn.), Udall (D-N.M.), and Markey (D-Mass.) in attendance. The hearing was convened to discuss the Barack Obama administration’s proposed United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) and P5…

Authored by on August 17, 2016

U.S. President Barack Obama is seeking approval for a UN Security Council resolution to reinforce the norm against nuclear testing, in a move that would coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which the United States signed in 1996. The Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin quoted National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price as saying that while the administration would like to see the Senate ratify the CTBT, they are “looking at possible action in the UN Security Council that would call on states not to test and support the CTBT’s objectives. We…

Authored by on August 16, 2016

On Aug. 12, Pakistan announced at a press briefing that it is "prepared to consider translating its unilateral moratorium [on nuclear testing] into a bilateral arrangement on non-testing with India." This statement is a variation of Pakistan's views on a regional test moratorium. At the June CTBT Ministerial Meeting in Vienna, Pakistan's ambassador said: Following the first nuclear test in 1974 in our neighbourhood, Pakistan made several proposals for keeping South Asia free of nuclear weapons and missiles including a proposal for a regional CTBT. None of these proposals met a…

Authored by on August 5, 2016

August 5 marks the anniversary of the signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons in outer space, underwater, or in the atmosphere. This treaty was signed by representatives of the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom, marking an important first step towards controlling and ceasing the harmful results of nuclear testing, such as the tests by the United Kingdom in Western Australia. Collisions, directed by Australian filmmaker Lynette Walworth, takes viewers on a virtual reality (VR) journey into the center of a situation most…

Authored by on August 4, 2016

U.S. President Barack Obama is seeking approval for a UN Security Council resolution to reinforce the norm against nuclear testing, in a move that would coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which the United States signed in 1996. The Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin quoted National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price as saying that while the administration would like to see the Senate ratify the CTBT, they are “looking at possible action in the UN Security Council that would call on states not to test and support the CTBT’s objectives. We…

Authored by on July 21, 2016

The 2016 Democratic Party Platform, which was released on July 21, says that Democrats "will strengthen the [nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty], push for the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and stop the spread of loose nuclear material." This is modified slightly from the 2012 party platform which declares: "We will also work to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and seek a new Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty that prohibits the production of fissile materials intended for use in nuclear weapons." While the 2016 Republican Party Platform does not specifically…

Authored by on June 17, 2016

In addition to the diplomats and experts who attended the June 13 Ministerial Meeting in Vienna, the meeting also featured participation by a new CTBTO Initiative to engage youth called the "CTBTO Youth Group." Members of this youth group took the opportunity at the "CTBT@20: The Way Forward - The Role of Civil Society" panel discussion to present statements and ideas on how to spur action on the CTBT, either by proposing frameworks for dialogue between nations, or by painting a picture of a world in 20 years in which the CTBT is in force. The work of these youth group members culminated…

Authored by on April 27, 2016

On 27 April 2016, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed an audience, ranging from veteran officials to young leaders, on the need for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The event was held in Vienna, Austria, but was followed across the world via media coverage, livestream, and social media.