[Occupymendocino] Fw: Historic Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty Adopted | Inside the Arms Control Association, July 2017

Fri Jul 21 07:41:25 PDT 2017

There is still hope for a Nuclear free future!

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From: Arms Control Association <aca=armscontrol.org at mail118.wdc01.mcdlv.net> on behalf of Arms Control Association <aca at armscontrol.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2017 9:04 AM
To: Ann Rennacker
Subject: Historic Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty Adopted | Inside the Arms Control Association, July 2017

A behind the scenes look into our work.
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Historic Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty Adopted

Capping a years-long diplomatic effort to highlight the catastrophic impacts of nuclear weapons, more than 120 states negotiated and adopted the first-ever global treaty prohibiting the possession, development, use or threat of use, or stationing of nuclear weapons at a special conference held at the United Nations in New York July 7.

The new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=11deab2a4c&e=da39f1671a> marks a turning point in the seven-decade-long struggle to reduce and eliminate the dangers posed by nuclear weapons.

Throughout the four and a half weeks of talks, Arms Control Association staff were on-site, engaging with key governments and other civil society groups on key provisions of the treaty. Our main goals were to help ensure the text was as technically sound as possible, consistent with the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and to ensure that the negotiations and the outcome were accurately reported by the mainstream press.

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Elaine Whyte Gomez, president of the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons talks with Research Assistant Alicia Sanders-Zakre at the United Nations, July 7.

At the negotiations in New York, I was joined by our research assistant Alicia Sanders-Zakre who posted regular updates via Twitter<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=2f4202657b&e=da39f1671a> and provided in-depth analysis of the talks through her “Banning the Bomb"<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=aaccb37370&e=da39f1671a> blog posts on our website.

For more details, see Alicia’s news report “Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty Adopted<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=8114c98514&e=da39f1671a>” in the July/August issue of Arms Control Today. Last week, she joined board member Zia Mian and me on a special telebriefing for members of the Association's Leadership Circle<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=6d75d28cc8&e=da39f1671a>.

As I described in our July 7 press release<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=238ac9d282&e=da39f1671a> and outlined in interviews with The New York Times<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=d3183b8b01&e=da39f1671a> and Politico<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=36c9d49db4&e=da39f1671a>, the new treaty is imperfect but a historic step forward. While its immediate impact may be limited, we hope that it will help reinforce the legal and political norms against nuclear weapons possession and use, and also spur much needed action on additional nuclear risk reduction and disarmament measures.

Obviously there is much more to do to achieve further progress and to guard against new and existing threats—of which there are many.

As always, thanks for your help and support,
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Daryl G. Kimball,
Executive Director

Make a special donation to support the urgent next steps to implement the TPNW.<http://>

Congressional Debates on Arms Control Loom

The future of U.S. nuclear weapons and missile defense policy is at a crossroads. The Trump administration is conducting comprehensive<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=28c21d315a&e=da39f1671a> reviews<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=7fa0be7c94&e=da39f1671a>—scheduled to be completed by the end of the year—that could result in significant changes to U.S. nuclear policy.

In addition, the House and Senate Armed Services Committee versions of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) include provisions that if passed into law would deal a major blow to longstanding, bipartisan arms control efforts, including the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), and the CTBT. Consideration of the bills will continue into August.

Our team is working overtime with other colleague organizations to counter unhelpful legislative proposals and to build support for pragmatic alternatives.

For an overview, see the latest Issue Brief<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=7453127e5e&e=da39f1671a> from our director for disarmament policy Kingston Reif.

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CTBT Under Assault from ‘Pro-Testers’ in Congress

Despite the United States’ longstanding support for a global nuclear test moratorium, House and Senate Republicans, led by Rep. Joe Wilson and Sen. Tom Cotton, are pushing for the adoption of legislation<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=841794c429&e=da39f1671a> that would “restrict” funding for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization and put into question the U.S. commitment as a signatory to the CTBT not to conduct nuclear tests. The House has already adopted the legislation as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act; the Senate will debate the amendment when it considers the National Defense Authorization Act next week.

This legislation runs contrary to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s joint statement<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=d2b409fe73&e=da39f1671a> with other G-7 foreign ministers this April which noted in part that all nations “should maintain all existing voluntary moratoria” on all nuclear test explosions, and “recalls” UN Security Council Resolution 2310, which recognized the CTBT as an important contribution to nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament and the CTBTO as being essential to verifying compliance with the global test ban.

The Arms Control Association team is actively lobbying Capitol Hill to highlight the dangers posed by the Wilson-Cotton amendment and to build better support and understanding about the CTBT and the CTBTO.

As part of our ongoing outreach and education work on the CTBT, Program and Policy Associate Shervin Taheran and Georgetown Law School student Brenna Gautam, both members of the CTBTO Youth Group, blogged daily updates on our Project for the CTBT website about the CTBTO’s June Science and Technology conference in Vienna, the work of the CTBTO Youth Group and civil society, and capacity-building initiatives. For more details, see the Project for the CTBT website<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=8df4af7e77&e=da39f1671a>.

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CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo, CTBTO Youth Group members Shervin Taheran and Beenish Pervaiz, and former UK Secretary of Defence Des Browne in Vienna.

Career Opportunity: Production Editor, Arms Control Today

The Arms Control Association is seeking a design and production editor to execute desktop layout of the monthly magazine Arms Control Today. This person also will oversee the magazine’s web presence, manage advertising, and design reports and other Association materials. Candidates should email a cover letter, resume, samples, and 3 references to jobs at armscontrol.org<mailto:jobs at armscontrol.org> by August 7. Visit www.armscontrol.org/employment<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=f035378471&e=da39f1671a> for more information.

Toward a Diplomatic Solution to the DPRK Crisis

With the July 4 flight test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the North Korean nuclear crisis has taken on an even greater degree of urgency. We are accelerating our ongoing efforts to build support for effective diplomatic engagement with North Korea to halt and reverse its nuclear and missile programs.

In a special Arms Control Association briefing<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=f6b22e0764&e=da39f1671a> for journalists following South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s meeting with President Donald Trump last month, Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry outlined a pragmatic strategy for coordinated U.S.-South Korean efforts to address the growing threat posed by North Korea’s actions.

"The Trump administration should adopt a strategy of active and direct diplomatic engagement with North Korea," stated Markey, with "rigorous sanctions enforcement by China and a robust military deterrence posture."

"There is no guarantee diplomacy will work," Perry cautioned. "But there are no good military options."

Last month, Arms Control Association members and supporters joined with other advocates from 10 other national organizations in urging a diplomatic approach to engagement with the regime. Over 73,000 signatures were delivered to President Moon showing broad American support for his pledge to engage in talks with North Korea to halt and eventually reverse its nuclear program.

We also continue to brief key House and Senate staff and members on the North Korean nuclear challenge and effective policy solutions. The North Korea Working Group—convened by the Arms Control Association, the Ploughshares Fund, and the National Committee on North Korea—works with other leading advocacy, research, and grassroots organizations to engage officials, coordinate grassroots advocacy efforts, and build high-level support for a diplomacy designed to halt and reverse North Korea’s dangerous nuclear and missile pursuits.

Together, we are sending a loud and clear message to both the U.S. and South Korean governments that the American people support diplomacy with North Korea over conflict.

Quick Reference Links

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Iran Nuclear Deal Still Working, But Is At Risk

Two years ago, negotiators from Iran and six world powers concluded marathon talks on the Iran nuclear deal. Despite the success of the historic 2015 agreement, which verifiably limits Iran’s nuclear potential in exchange for sanctions relief, the Trump administration is threatening to unravel the deal—which could lead to Iran breaking out of the nuclear limits, which could set off another crisis in the already troubled Middle East.

As our nonproliferation policy director Kelsey Davenport explains<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=ad9dc6bf56&e=da39f1671a>, the Iran nuclear deal was and remains a major nonproliferation success.

But this week, news reports indicate that Trump tried to “decertify” Iran’s compliance with the agreement, but was overruled by his national security advisors. Such a move could trigger the reimposition of nuclear-related sanctions by Congress, and the unraveling of the multilateral agreement. The next deadline for certifying Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal is in October.

The White House has also said Trump is urging other countries not to engage in trade with Iran, a policy that is clearly inconsistent with the terms of the Iran deal. As Daryl Kimball told The Washington Post<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=f2b434f5f6&e=da39f1671a>, Trump’s actions only embolden Iranian hardliners who are pressing Iranian President Hassar Rouhani to retaliate by exceeding Iran’s nuclear restrictions.

We will continue to lead nongovernmental efforts to guard against unwarranted attacks on the Iran nuclear deal and watchdog compliance by Iran, the United States, and the other parties.

To stay on top of the latest developments, sign up<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=5409afdf36&e=da39f1671a> for our “P5+1 and Iran Nuclear Deal” e-newsletter.

New Grant from MacArthur for New Joint Project with Partnership for a Secure America

We are pleased to announce that the MacArthur Foundation has awarded a new grant for an innovative Partnership for a Secure America/Arms Control Association bipartisan initiative<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=c04e571579&e=da39f1671a> to engage Congress on evolving nuclear security challenges around the world. The Arms Control Association will receive $63,000 of the $200,000 award, which is part of a recent collaboration between the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) and the MacArthur Foundation to reduce nuclear risk through innovative and solutions-oriented approaches.

Board Spotlight: Thomas Countryman

[Thomas Countryman]On June 2, we welcomed six new members to the Arms Control Association board of directors, among them, former Acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas Countryman.

"In arms control, as in other fields of public policy,  the role of NGOs is to be an incubator of new policy ideas, and to provide an objective view of the consistency and effectiveness of government actions," Tom noted about the work of organizations such as the Arms Control Association.

Tom was a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, achieving the rank of minister-counselor, and served as acting undersecretary for arms control and international security, a position to which he was appointed Oct. 9, 2016. He simultaneously served as assistant secretary for international security and nonproliferation, a position he had held since September 2011. As acting undersecretary, Tom advised the Secretary of State on arms control, nonproliferation, disarmament and political-military affairs.

Prior to his position as assistant secretary, he served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for political-military affairs, deputy assistant secretary for European affairs, and as the foreign policy adviser to the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. From 1994-1997, he was responsible for advising Ambassador Madeline Albright on Middle East affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and served as liaison with the UN Special Commission investigating Iraq’s weapons programs. Since being elected to the Board, Tom has been interviewed by The Guardian<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=0fb55dcfda&e=da39f1671a>, Voice of America<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=4014ec49ab&e=da39f1671a>, CNN, and NBC News<http://armscontrol.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94d82a9d1fc1a60f0138613f1&id=6fd3392086&e=da39f1671a>.