Legal and Technical Aspects of
Complete Nuclear Disarmament
Questions for Discussion
Ottawa, January 10-11, 2002
What are the essential verification requirements for transition
to low levels (hundreds) of nuclear weapons? What are the essential
verification requirements for transition from low levels to complete
elimination?
What are the essential verification requirements for maintaining
a regime of nuclear disarmament while the capability and technology
are still accessible, and in later generations?
What existing verification bodies and mechanisms (NPT safeguards,
US-Russian arms reduction treaties, regional agreements, CTBTO)
will need to be expanded? How? How should they be coordinated?
Is a new umbrella agency necessary? If so, how would it bring
efforts together? If not, what is working best about the regime
now that could be built on?
What should be the elements of a future regime to verify a ban
on fissile materials for weapons purposes? How inclusive must
it be to facilitate complete nuclear disarmament? What materials,
in what forms, would be subject to verification?
How inclusive must declarations of warheads and fissile materials
be? Who should have access to this information? What data-sharing
agreements are necessary to balance transparency and confidence
with concerns related to non-proliferation and classified information?
What nuclear facilities must be subject to verification? How
intrusive should the verification regime be? What combination
of sensors, inspections (systematic and challenge), and data-sharing
is optimal to balance confidence-building with certainty and efficiency?
How inclusive should control over delivery systems be? What
existing verification mechanisms are applicable and what must
be developed?
What are the essential elements of a legal regime to enforce
state compliance with an obligation of non-possession of nuclear
weapons? What types of peaceful collective measures would be effective
for this purpose?
What are the essential elements of national implementation?
How do these correspond to a legal regime that provides for effective
and fair criminal prosecution of individual violators of basic
norms of non-possession of nuclear weapons?
What will be the role of societal verification? Should individuals
be required to report violations of the disarmament regime?
What are the essential elements of a legal regime that protects
individual whistleblowers at both the national and international
levels? What protections could a state offer citizens reporting
on suspected violations by employers? Should there be transnational
protection arrangements for individuals who report violations
by states?
What expertise and skills base must be developed to enable the
implementation of a universal disarmament regime? What existing
or new areas of research must be developed or expanded?
What policy and security changes are required to allow the development
and implementation of the requirements identified above?
