Reaching for a Critical Mass of Political Will for Nuclear Disarmament
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Existing Treaties Antarctic Treaty - 1959. The Antarctic Treaty, signed by 12 countries, prohibits nuclear explosions and the disposal of radioactive wastes on Antarctic, subject to future ageements. Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty - 1972-2002. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty was a bilateral agreement between the US and USSR under which each promise to establish no more than one ABM site on their national territory. It bans the testing, development and deployment of sea-, air-, space-, and mobile land-based systems. The plan for a defensive umbrella over the entire United States, first proposed under the Reagan administration, would have violated the treaty; the ballistic missile defense systems under development would still violate the treaty, since the plan involves more than one system, could involved sea-based missiles, and will be shared with other nations. The US withdrew from the ABM in 2002, despite enormous national and international objections. Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) - 1975. The Biological Weapons Convention entered into force in 1975 and has over 125 signtories. It builds on the protocols of the Geneva conventions that banned the use of gas in war. It is the first treaty to ban an entire category of mass destruction weapons. However, the BWC has no verification provisions. A verification protocol has been under negotiations since 1995 and will be submitted to states parties sometime in 1999. Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) - 1993. The CWC opened for signature in 1993 and entered into force in April 1997. It has many signatories, including the US, Russia, and China. It bans the "development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons" (earlier agreements only banned the use). The treaty contains an extensive list of banned chemicals and precursors and provides for an elaborate and intrusive verification regime.
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) - 1996. The CTBT bans all nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion, establishes an extensive International Monitoring System, and allows for short-notice on-site inspections. It was opened for signature in 1996, but has not yet entered into force. Under the terms of the treaty, all forty-four countries with nuclear power plants must sign and ratify before it enters into force.
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) - 1983. The Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indescriminate Effects entered into force in 1983. The treaty bans incendiary weapons and weapons that produce fragments not detectable by x-ray, but only place modest restrictions on land mines. The failure of the treaty body to ban landmines (although it did ban laser weapons at the 1996 meeting) encouraged NGOs and governments to call for a special treaty banning landmines. Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material - 1980. The Convention, signed in Vienna and in New York on March three, 1980, entered into force on February eight, 1987. Till date, there are 70 countries which are participating member States.The Convention provides a legal basis to physical protection measures for nuclear material that have been evolved over time by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It provides a framework for international cooperation against theft or unauthorised diversion of nuclear materials and obliges States parties to ensure physical protection of nuclear material during international transport. Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD) - 1977. The Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques attempts to prohibit military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques. The Convention defines environmental modification techniques as "changing -- through the deliberate manipulation of natural processes -- the dynamics, composition or structure of the earth, including its biota, lithosphere, hydro-sphere, and atmosphere, or of outer space." Changes in weather or climate patterns, in ocean currents, or in the state of the ozone layer or ionosphere, or an upset in the ecological balance of a region are some of the effects which might result from the use of environmental modification techniques. Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) - 1992. The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe limited conventional armaments in Europe to under 40,000 battle tanks, 60,000 armoured combat vehicles, 40,000 pieces of artillery, 13,600 combat aircraft and 4,000 helicopters. Russia suspended its observance of its CFE Treaty obligations in 2007. Intermediate Nuclear Forces INF - 1987. The INF Treaty seeks to eliminate the US and Russia's land-based intermediate- and shorter-ranges missiles. In October 2007, the US and Russia released a joint statement on the INF Treaty. (See an NGO perspective on the statement here.) Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) - 1968. The NPT contains the only binding commitment to nuclear disarmament in a multilateral treaty on the part of the nuclear weapon states, in Article VI. The NPT's "grand bargain" states that the nuclear weapon states pledge to disarm, whilt non-nuclear weapon states pledge never to acquire nuclear weapons. 190 governments have ratified the Treaty (though there are 189 States Parties, as North Korea withdrew from the Treaty after it ratified it).
Ottawa Convention (aka Mine Ban Treaty) - 1997. The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction opened for signature in December 1997 and entered into force on March 1, 1999 - the most rapid ratification process of any major arms control treaty. The Treaty is notable on several counts: it is the first treaty to ban a class of weapon in wide use; it combines elements of humanitarian and arms control law (meaning, among other things, individuals rather than just states have rights and responsibilities under the treaty); and it came about as a result of a coalition of NGOs and mid-size governments without the participation of the major military powers. Major landmines producers including the US, Russia, China, and Pakistan have not signed the treaty. Outer Space Treaty (OST) - 1967. The Outer Space Treaty has been signed and ratifed by the US, UK, USSR, France, India, and 58 others. It prohibits nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction from being placed in space (including Earth orbit). Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) - 1963. The Limited Test Ban Treaty banned all but underground nuclear explosions. The US, USSR, and UK are signatories (they wrote it and are the depositories). It was negotiated in 6 weeks. Seabed Treaty - 1971. This treaty prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction on the seabed and ocean floor beyond a 12 mile coastal zone. It entered into force in 1972 and multiple review conferences have upheld the treaty. 66 states have ratified, including US, UK, USSR, China, but not France. Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) - 1972. The United States and the Soviet Union engaged in talks from 1969 to 1972, during which they negotiated the first agreements to place limits and restraints on some of their central and most important armaments, such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and the Interim Agreement on strategic offensive arms. Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty II (SALT II) - 1979. The second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty increased limits on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers. Other limits were placed on multiple re-entry vehicles and bombers with intermediate-range missiles. SALT II was to remain in effect through 1985, but it was never ratified, and was then supplanted by the START negotiations. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty I (START I) 1991, 1992. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the US and the USSR limits the number of heavy bombers, ICBMs, and SLBMs, and also limits launchers and warheads. It prohibits both states from deploying more than 6000 nuclear warheads on a total of 1600 delivery systems, and the ballistic missile throw-weight (lifting power) is limited to 3600 metric tons. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty II (START II) - 1993. The second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the US and Russia limits their strategic arsenals to 3000-3500 warheads on delivery systems (tactical weapons and spares are not included in the counts). It also prohibits multiple re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) on intercontinental ballistic missiles, and limits the number of warheads deployable on submarine-launched ballistic missiles to 1700-1750. START II has not entered into force: when the US withdrew from the ABM Treaty in 2002, Russia declared START null and void the following day. It was replaced by SORT in 2002. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty III (START III). Discussions began between the US and Russia in 2007 to further reduce nuclear arsenals to 2000-2500 each, though it is unlikely negotiations will begin, as Russia withdrew from START II in 2002. Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT) - 2002. Also known as the Moscow Treaty, SORT limits the nuclear arsenal of both the US and Russia to 1700-2200 warheads each. It does not specify which warheads are to be reduced or how reductions should be made, nor does in include any verification provisions. It came into force on 1 June 2003, and is set to expire 31 December 2012. Threshold Test Ban Treaty - TTBT - 1974. Signed by US and USSR, the Threshold Test Ban Treaty limited nuclear explosions to 150 kilotons. Treaty of Bankok - 1995. The Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone entered into force in 1997 and prohibits the development, testing, stationing, transport, manufacture, and possession of nuclear weapons, and prohibits the dumping of waste in the region. It allows nuclear energy. US, UK, Russia, France, and China do not support this treaty. Treaty of Pelindaba - 1996. The African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone is not yet ratified, although it has 49 reional signatories, including the US, Frace, UK, Russia, and China. It prohibits all nuclear weapons in NWFZ and requires destruction of any nuclear devices. It calls on nuclear weapons states to provide assurances that they will not use nuclear weapons against the states party to the Treaty. Treaty of Rarotonga - 1985. The South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone prohibits the manufacture, possesssion, or testing of nuclear devices, and prohibits dumping of nuclear waste. It entered into force in 1986. Treaty of Tlatelolco - 1967. The Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America prohibits testing, production, possiession, or acquisition of nuclear weapons in the Latin American nuclear weapon free zone. In Protocol II, nuclear weapons states party to the treaty cannot use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against parties to the protocol. This was the first treaty to exclude nukes from an inhabited region of the globe. Possible Future Treaties Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) |