Global Nuclear Disarmament Still an Explosive Question

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct 15 2012 (IPS) - The Cuban missile crisis brought the world to the brink of a disaster 50 years ago. One may think that humanity learnt a lesson – yet the threat of the bomb persists, although it looks different today.

This was stated at the event “Next Steps on Nuclear Disarmament and Nonproliferation” held at the United Nations on Monday.

Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, complained that the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the United States entered into force on February 2011, but the two countries seem to rather build up their nuclear forces than to reduce them.

“We see a very slow implementation,” Kristensen said. He also stressed the fact that stronger action from the U.S. and Russia would put pressure on other states, such as China, to decrease their nuclear forces.

Vasantha R. Raghavan, president of the Indian think-tank Centre for Security Analysis, spoke about the situation in two other important Asian countries; India and Pakistan, both nuclear states. He had a more positive outlook.

“Despite breakdowns caused by terrorist attacks, India and Pakistan have resumed disarmament talks,” Raghavan said. But he also stressed that India and Pakistan are not isolated from the rest of the world. The commitment of the two states to arms reduction will depend on whether other states are committed to similar agreements.

Sameh Aboul-Enein, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Disarmament Affairs in Egypt, said that this is true of the Middle East as well. After the Arab Spring, an opportunity has emerged to make the Middle East a zone free from nuclear weapons. But in order to succeed, non-Arab states need to lead by example.

Aboul-Enein also mentioned some positive examples that can serve as an inspiration for the Middle East, such as Brazil and Argentina. The two South American states embarked on a nuclear weapons competition in the 1970s and ’80s, but are now pursuing a peaceful nuclear cooperation instead.

“It is imperative (for the Middle East) to follow those regional examples,” Aboul-Enein said.

The event was organised by The Arms Control Association, an independent organisation working to provide information about and solutions to threats posed by the world’s most dangerous weapons.

Executive director Daryl G. Kimball ended the conference by saying that there are still nearly 20,000 nuclear weapons in the world. And the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is still not in force, because not enough states have ratified it – among them the United States.

Bilateral agreements on disarmament, such as the agreements mentioned between India and Pakistan or between the U.S. and Russia, are important. But the only way to put a real end to arms races is global, multilateral treaties, Kimball stated.

The CTBT would both hinder the world’s nine existing nuclear weapon states to test new nuclear warhead designs, and refrain other states from trying to emerge as nuclear powers. “The CTBT must enter into force,” Kimball concluded.