Future Prospects for Nuclear Disarmament

Background information

Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated.

Proponents of nuclear disarmament say that it would lessen the probability of nuclear war occurring, especially accidentally. Critics of nuclear disarmament say that it would undermine deterrence.

History The movement for disarmament has varied from nation

to nation over times. A few prominent proponents of disarmament argued in the earliest days of the Cold War that the creation of an international watchdog organization could be used to enforce a ban against the creation of nuclear weapons. This initial movement largely failed. During the 1960s, a much stronger popular movement against nuclear weapons developed, rallying primarily around the fear of nuclear fallout from nuclear testing..

After the Partial Test Ban Treaty (1963), which prohibited atmospheric testing, the movement against nuclear weapons somewhat subsided in the 1970s (and was replaced in part by a movement against nuclear power). In the 1980s, a popular movement for nuclear disarmament again gained strength in the light of the weapons build-up and aggressive rhetoric of US President Ronald Reagan. After the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s the momentum again faded.

In the USSR, voices against nuclear weapons were few and far between as there was no "public" to speak of as a political factor. Certain citizens who had become prominent enough to safely criticize the Soviet government, such as Andrei Sakharov, did speak out against nuclear weapons, but to little effect.

When the extreme danger intrinsic to nuclear war and the possession of nuclear weapons became apparent to all sides during the Cold War, a series of disarmament and nonproliferation treaties were agreed upon between the United States, the Soviet Union, and several other states throughout the world. Many of these treaties involved years of negotiations, and seemed to result in important steps toward creating a nuclear weapons free world.

USG Nobuyasu AbeMr. Abe is head of disarmament affairs at the United Nations. He

was born in Akita, Japan in 1945 and studied at the University of Tokyo and later at Amherst College in Massachusetts, majoring in political science. Mr. Abe joined the Japanese Foreign Service in 1967 and is an accomplished diplomat with wide experience in the field of arms control and disarmament. He served in the Japanese missions to the International Organizations in Geneva (1977-79), to the United Nations in New York (1987-90 and 1996-97) and to the International Organizations in Vienna (1999-2001).

Before his nomination as head of disarmament affairs, he was Japan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Mr. Abe has had a number of national assignments with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the latest of which was as Director-General for Arms Control and Science Affairs (1997-99). During this period he helped organize the Tokyo Forum for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament and participated in many international activities for disarmament and nonproliferation. He was instrumental in bringing about the Japanese ratification of the Ottawa Convention to Ban Anti-personnel Landmines. 

During Mr. Abe’s assignment in Vienna, he has led the efforts to promote the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and to conclude the negotiation on the Firearms Protocol of the Anti-Organized Crime Convention.

Words and Expressions

cornerstonethe fundamental assumptions from which someth

ing is begun or developed or calculated or explained

eg. Free speech is the cornerstone of democracy.

disarmamentact of reducing or depriving of arms

eg. 1.The candidates had to state their position on unilateral disarmament.

2. What is the latest state of play in the disarmament talks?

proliferationgrowth by the rapid multiplication of parts;a rapi

d increase in number

eg. Having waters rich in mineral and organic nutrients that promote a proliferation of plant life, especially algae, which reduces the dissolved oxygen content and often causes the extinction of other organisms. Used of a lake or pond.

overhaulthe act of improving by renewing and restoring

eg. The engine is due for an overhaul.

arsenalsall the weapons and equipment that a country has

eg. Arsenals are factories that produce weapons.

consensusagreement in the judgment or opinion reached by

a group as a whole

eg. 1. The two parties have reached a consensus.

2. There is broad consensus (of opinion) in the country on this issue.

parochialnarrowly restricted in outlook or scope

eg. "What Manchester thinks today the world will think tomorrow," is not an outdated belief. The old parochial outlook has become a world view.

intransigentimpervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason

eg. Owing to their intransigent attitude we were unable to reach an agreement.

delinquenta young offender ;guilty of a minor misdeed

eg. 1. I'm afraid he'll ultimately become a juvenile delinquent.

2. The debtor fell delinquent.

sabotagedestroy property or hinder normal operations

eg. a delibrate attempt to sabotage the country’s economy

provocativeserving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulat

e; stimulating discussion or exciting controversy- Anthony Trollope

eg. Harry claims to be an anarchist but he's really only striking an attitude to be provocative.

inadvertentwithout intention (especially resulting from heed

less action)

eg. An inadvertent inquiry would have brought us into troubled waters.

ratifyapprove and express assent, responsibility, or obl

igation

eg. 1. The agreement has to be ratified by the board.

2. The government has ratified the project.

astutemarked by practical hardheaded intelligence

eg. 1. He is a very astute merchant, and can not accept to be the first offers a price.

2. He is astute in business.