The control of weapons of mass destruction has been about numbers, treaties and norms. The first two get most of the attention, even though the third is the grand prize. Numbers and treaties are essential tools to build an edifice of normative behavior and customary practice. Numbers and treaties are the means. Norms are the …
FYRP: If You Will The End
by | 2013-08-05 | No Comments
Another edition of ACW’s best regular column! 24 GOP Senators – rubio.senate.gov | The Berlin speech / unilateral nuclear cuts debate continues. We missed it at the time, but back in June, a couple dozen Republican senators weighed in, saying “It is our view that any further reductions in the U.S. nuclear arsenal should only be …
Simulating the Executive Council redux
by | 2013-08-01 | 7 Comments
Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of serving my second term as the Director-General of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). I played my role in a simulation set up by the CTBTO’s Capacity Development Initiative (CDI). As last year, the gameplay felt realistic, and the outcome vote fell within what one …
What Went Wrong with Arms Control?
by | 2013-07-30 | 15 Comments
In the mid-1980s, many smart people predicted the death of arms control. Thomas Schelling was one of them. Others included Richard Haass, Albert Carnesale, Les Gelb, and Zbigniew Brzezinski. US-Soviet relations were in terrible shape. The White House and the Kremlin were talking past each other. Uber-hawks in the Reagan administration compiled a long list …
