Memorandum to President-elect Obama: A New Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Agenda

Publication Date: June 2008

Publisher: Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Author(s): Jeff Lindemyer

Research Area: International relations

Keywords: Presidential transition; Nonproliferation; Ratification; Bipartisan

Type: Brief

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

Little effort was made to extend or pursue a follow-on agreement to the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which will soon leave only the otherwise toothless Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT). No progress was made towards ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), despite its recent proven success in detecting North Korea's low yield blast. Moves towards creating a compliance Protocol for the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention ground to a screeching halt; and moreover, we may have witnessed the opening salvo towards the weaponization of space.