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371. A new farewell to arms: Viewing disarmament in a new security environment

Author:
Jean Pascal Zanders
Publication Date:
12-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
European Union Institute for Security Studies
Abstract:
In 1909 Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, Viscount Grey of Fallodon, prophesied the outbreak of World War I when he declared that the naval arms race between Britain and Germany had become the most important single factor increasing tensions and the risk of war in Europe. The judgement captures the kernel of disarmament: certain types of weaponry are inherently so destabilising to international peace and security that they should preferably be removed from the military arsenals. Disarmament became a major objective of the League of Nations in the 1920s and 1930s. Under the Charter of the United Nations it is a responsibility of the General Assembly (Article 11) and the Security Council (Article 26). Today, as in the past, disarmament is one of the policy options available to governments to enhance national security. Barring a decision to unilaterally renounce a particular weapon category or coercive destruction of military equipment following defeat in war, it forms an integral part of cooperative security that aims for stability, predictability and transparency in international relations based on equal rights and obligations for all parties concerned.
Topic:
Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Political Geography:
Europe, Germany, and United Nations

372. Delegitimizing Nuclear Weapons: Examining the Validity of Nuclear Deterrence

Author:
Ward Wilson, Ken Berry, Nikolai Sokov, Patricia Lewis, and Benoît Pélopidas
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Abstract:
The study on ―Delegitimizing Nuclear Weapons: Examining the Validity of Nuclear Deterrence‖ by Ken Berry, Patricia Lewis, Benoît Pélopidas, Nikolai Sokov and Ward Wilson was commissioned by the Swiss Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and undertaken by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Topic:
Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, Nuclear Weapons, Peace Studies, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Political Geography:
United Nations

373. Inside the Red Box: North Korea’s Post-totalitarian Politics

Author:
Patrick McEachern
Publication Date:
12-2010
Content Type:
Book
Institution:
Columbia University Press
Abstract:
North Korea's institutional politics defy traditional political models, making the country's actions seem surprising or confusing when, in fact, they often conform to the regime's own logic. Drawing on recent materials, such as North Korean speeches, commentaries, and articles, Patrick McEachern, a specialist on North Korean affairs, reveals how the state's political institutions debate policy and inform and execute strategic-level decisions. Many scholars dismiss Kim Jong-Il's regime as a "one-man dictatorship," calling him the "last totalitarian leader," but McEachern identifies three major institutions that help maintain regime continuity: the cabinet, the military, and the party. These groups hold different institutional policy platforms and debate high-level policy options both before and after Kim and his senior leadership make their final call. This method of rule may challenge expectations, but North Korea does not follow a classically totalitarian, personalistic, or corporatist model. Rather than being monolithic, McEachern argues, the regime, emerging from the crises of the 1990s, rules differently today than it did under Kim's father, Kim Il Sung. The son is less powerful and pits institutions against one another in a strategy of divide and rule. His leadership is fundamentally different: it is "post-totalitarian." Authority may be centralized, but power remains diffuse. McEachern maps this process in great detail, supplying vital perspective on North Korea's reactive policy choices, which continue to bewilder the West.
Topic:
Arms Control and Proliferation, International Security, and Authoritarianism
Political Geography:
Asia, North Korea, and Asia-Pacific
Publication Identifier:
9780231526807
Publication Identifier Type:
ISBN

374. Missile Defense: Challenges and Opportunities for NATO

Author:
Svenja Sinjen and Stephan Frühling
Publication Date:
07-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
NATO Defense College
Abstract:
In November 2010, NATO will adopt a new strategic concept at its summit in Lisbon. Finding agreement about the Alliance's purposes, strategies and required capabilities will not be an easy task. In the lead-up, the allies appointed a Group of Experts led by Medeleine Albright to make recommendations for the new concept, and which published its report in May 2010. One of the core recommendations of the Group is that "NATO should recognize territorial missile defense as an essential mission of the Alliance." NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen had also put Alliance missile defense on the agenda of the recent meeting of NATO foreign ministers in April. Hence, missile defense is shaping up as a core practical issue where NATO will have to agree on a new, coherent and meaningful policy at the Lisbon summit.
Topic:
Defense Policy, NATO, and Arms Control and Proliferation

375. NATO's Nuclear Weapons in Europe: Beyond "Yes" or "No"

Author:
Karl-Heinz Kamp
Publication Date:
09-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
NATO Defense College
Abstract:
"NATO is a nuclear alliance," stated US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at NATO's informal ministerial meeting in Tallinn in April 2010. NATO always was, but many had forgotten about this constituting element of the North Atlantic Alliance. Today, the nuclear question and the so-called "tactical" nuclear weapons (TNW), i.e. the US nuclear bombs stationed in five European member countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey) are back on the political agenda. Ignited by some European member governments, a debate on the pros and cons of the American nuclear presence in Europe has started. Some are in favor of a rapid withdrawal of these weapons from European soil and claim that the strategic rationale for these types of weapons, which are supposed to be used against Warsaw Pact forces, had long gone. Opponents of quick removal point out that a credible nuclear deterrence posture remains essential for NATO - not least to reassure most of the new NATO members who still harbor concerns with regard to a potentially aggressive Russia (which keeps an estimated number of 3,000 tactical nuclear weapons in its European part - about 10 to 15 times as many as NATO).
Topic:
Security, NATO, Arms Control and Proliferation, International Cooperation, and Nuclear Weapons
Political Geography:
United States, India, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Netherlands

376. Practical Guide: Applying Sustainable Development to Arms Transfer Decisions

Publication Date:
04-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
The devastating impact of conflict, armed crime, and all forms of armed violence around the world is apparent for all to see. Armed violence closes schools, paralyses communities, burdens health-care systems, discourages investment and economic activity, and makes lives and livelihoods less secure. Spending on arms or arms races can divert vital funds from public services such as education and health care, and when such spending takes place without accountability and transparency, it can aggravate corruption. Individually and cumulatively, these impacts undermine sustainable development and the achievement of internationally-agreed targets such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, Arms Control and Proliferation, Peace Studies, and War

377. Congo : Une Strategie Globale Pour Desarmer Les Fdlr

Publication Date:
07-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
L'offensive militaire conduite conjointement par la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) et le Rwanda contre les rebelles hutu rwandais s'est conclue sur un bilan mitigé. Quinze ans après le génocide rwandais et leur établissement à l'Est du Congo, ces rebelles n'ont toujours pas été désarmés et restent à l'origine de violences extrêmes perpétrées contre la population civile. Bien qu'elle n'ait plus les capacités militaires de déstabiliser le Rwanda, leur troupe forte de plus de 6 000 combattants – parmi lesquels se trouvent encore des génocidaires – continue de représenter un obstacle politique majeur à la consolidation de la paix dans la région des Grands Lacs. L'Est du Congo ne pourra être stabilisé sans que ces rebelles ne soient désarmés et démobilisés.
Topic:
Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, Peace Studies, and War

378. Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding Strategies: Considerations for Policymakers

Publication Date:
07-2009
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre on Human Rights in Conflict
Abstract:
It is critical to take into account the ways in which policies and programming in peacebuilding and transitional justice may be not only contradictory but also complementary. This brief examines the interaction of the following peacebuilding activities with transitional justice processes: Disarmament, Demobilization, and Re-integration (DDR), Security Sector Reform (SSR) and rule of law promotion.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Defense Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Peace Studies
Political Geography:
United Nations

379. Decommissioning the North Korean Nuclear Facilities: Approaches and Costs

Author:
Hui Zhang
Publication Date:
07-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
Abstract:
If the agreed objective of complete denuclearization of Korean peninsula is to be achieved, it can be expected that dismantling and ultimately decommissioning North Korean plutonium production facilities have to be proceeded. This paper will focus on decommissioning the 5 megawatt-electric (MWe) plutonium production reactor and the reprocessing plant. It explores and recommends the best decommissioning approaches to those nuclear facilities. It also provides a discussion of the decommissioning costs for these nuclear facilities.
Topic:
Arms Control and Proliferation, Nuclear Weapons, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Political Geography:
Israel, North Korea, and Sinai Peninsula

380. Funding for U.S. Efforts to Improve Controls Over Nuclear Weapons, Materials, and Expertise Overseas: A 2009 Update

Author:
Matthew Bunn and Andrew Newman
Publication Date:
06-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
Abstract:
The Obama administration is still developing a plan to ensure effective security for all nuclear weapons and weapons-usable nuclear material worldwide within four years, as President Obama outlined in his Prague speech. Because the plan is still in development, the additional funding to implement such an effort was not included in the “steady as you go” fiscal year (FY) 2010 budget request sent to Congress in early May 2009. The $1.3 billion request for programs to improve controls over nuclear weapons, materials, and expertise overseas is essentially the same as the FY 2009 appropriation and $30 million less than the FY 2008 appropriation. The request for all threat reduction programs (including chemical, biological, and missile-related programs as well as nuclear programs) is approximately $1.6 billion, a slight decline from the FY 2009 appropriation. As Kenneth Luongo, president of the Partnership for Global Security, put it in an April 2 press release: “The budget request for FY 2010 needs to be significantly increased across the board if there is any hope of meeting the President's high pri-ority WMD proliferation prevention goals. A stagnant or modestly increased funding profile will be inadequate and amount to business as usual.” If the four-year target is to be achieved, the administration and Congress will need to work together to ensure that these efforts are not slowed by lack of funds.
Topic:
Conflict Prevention, Arms Control and Proliferation, Nuclear Weapons, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Political Geography:
United States