Disarmament Diplomacy

Issue No. 40, September - October 1999

Editor's Introduction

Global efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation and ban nuclear testing received a major setback in October when the United States Senate voted to reject ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Disarmament Diplomacy devotes a Special Feature to the issue, with analysis and key statements from around the world. Daryl Kimball analyses what went wrong in the US, Patricia Lewis considers the international repercussions of the US Senate decision, Oliver Meier responds to Republican allegations regarding the Treaty's (un)verifiability, and Rebecca Johnson reports on the lacklustre Special Conference on CTBT Article XIV Entry Into Force in Vienna. The CTBT theme continues with a short selection of statements specifically related to the Senate vote.

Documents and Sources includes recent key statements on the military coup in Pakistan, the 1999 IAEA Conference and the P-5 statement on arms control. In a new departure some of the documents and statements are summarised including a new CIA report on ballistic missile threats, an Africa arms register and a new UN report on civilians in armed conflicts. This section also gives the relevant website address where the full text of a statement is available.

The September/October issue also features Sharon Riggle reporting from the UN First Committee in New York, Ivan Safrantchouk writing from Moscow on the pros and cons of de-alerting, and Henrietta Wilson's commentary on the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) discussions in Geneva.

News Review, which Dr. Sean Howard will continue to compile from his new home in Canada, includes reflections on recent newswire coverage of ballistic missile defences, the ABM Treaty, missile proliferation, the economic costs of the arms race in south Asia and trouble with the US National Ignition Facility (NIF).

This edition of Disarmament Diplomacy is the first to be edited by Michael Szabo who took over as editor in October. All at the Acronym Institute are very pleased to welcome Michael to the team. Michael is a journalist with many years experience writing and reporting on disarmament and related scientific and environmental issues in Britain and New Zealand. The new editor's e-mail and direct line telephone and fax number are:

Direct Line: Tel & Fax +44 (0) 171 503 6716
E-mail: mszabo@acronym.org.uk

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