Five Months, Five Milestones to Meet
Starting 2010 Off Right on Nuclear Policy
Welcome to 2010: the year of possibilities! Even more than 2009 when we ushered in a new President who supports multilateral diplomacy, international cooperation, and our obligations to uphold international law and treaties, this is a year when a great deal of good could happen, particularly in the field of nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. But a word of caution—the President and the Secretary of State must keep their eyes on the prize.
- American and Russian negotiators are still hammering out the details of a START follow-on treaty, expected in March at this point. While this date is far past the deadline that President Obama set when START negotiations began last summer, the follow-on treaty is critical to US-Russian relations and to setting a global example for nuclear disarmament. Skimping out on the details and the importance of cost-effective but secure verification procedures would be a failure for the treaty and would render it useless.
- Talks with Iran continue. At the end of 2009, Iran had essentially rejected the US/UN/EU plan of shipping Iran’s uranium out of the country for low-enrichment into fuel rods so it could only be used for energy upon return to Iran. But at the beginning of 2010, Iran suggested once again that it was more open to the idea of exporting fuel for enrichment and processing. Whether this is a stalling tactic or a genuine interest in avoiding a military conflict or sanctions remains to be seen. An Iran crisis resolution could be on the horizon, opening the door to broader Middle East security solutions.
- Forthcoming in February are both the Federal budget for 2011 where the cost and spending on nuclear weapons will be laid out and the Nuclear Posture Review (due to Congress by the beginning of March). The NPR is a review carried out by every President since the end of the Cold War, carried out by the Defense Department and, hopefully, the State Department too, and submitted by the Administration to Congress. Following on the heels of Obama’s celebrated April 2009 Prague speech, most people expect that the NPR will be the most nonproliferation and disarmament-focused NPR to date. Check out the Fact Sheets via ArmsControlWonk
- In April, President Obama will be hosting the first Global Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC, with a high number of heads of state, UN officials, IAEA officials, and other such representatives. It will be important to see if there is consensus regarding fissile material, an international fuel bank, and ongoing nuclear crises, including Iran.
- Following the GNSS, there will be Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference: the Conference of the year regarding nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. The NPT Review conference is designed to uphold the tenets of the treaty, which is the cornerstone of the global nonproliferation regime, and to encourage members to step up and own their obligations under the Treaty. Article VI of the Treaty reads, “Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.” We have an obligation, thus, as a signatory to this legally binding international treaty to pursue disarmament wholeheartedly.
The first five months of this year are crucial, important, and fast-paced months for the cause of international nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. There is incredible momentum and understanding among not only the citizens of the world who have long understood the dangers of these weapons but among world leaders. Nuclear weapons can no longer be seen as objects of power and international stature, but we must see them as what they are, and have always been: weapons of mass destruction with the capability to cause irreparable and incomprehensible harm to civilian populations and to our planet.
The role of civil society including citizens and nonprofits in this process is also important. This is the moment we have been working toward for many years.
As voters, we can remind our Senators that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which may come to the Senate this year, is a critically important treaty for the next step towards nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. This treaty built an incredible and accurate network of verification and monitoring stations that have worked as they should in the real-life test of North Korea’s underground detonations. This is a network that protects not only our land, our air, our water, and everyone around the world but also our stature as an international leader for peace, democracy, and global wellbeing. We can raise awareness by showing films, volunteering, handing out fliers, speaking to our friends, and attending the upcoming marches and events around the NPT Review Conference, including the Riverside Nuclear Disarmament Conference in New York, April 30-May 1st, and the planned rally and march in New York on May 2nd (more information forthcoming on these events).
As international security or nuclear nonproliferation organizations, we can work to raise awareness, keep the media honest on the facts as these conferences make front-page headlines, empower our network of people to feel confidence in their vote and their ability to demand policy changes from their elected representatives. We can visit Congress and remind our elected representatives of the threat these weapons present, and that America must stand for more than its nuclear arsenal. The United States of America must stand for the belief that security and peace can be found through understanding, multilateralism, education, health, and respect for human rights.
We must remind both our leaders that working towards nonproliferation and disarmament is standing up for that belief, and not for violence and destruction that are the only outcomes of nuclear weapons. We must remind ourselves that 2010 may be the last best chance for years to get the job done.
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