My plan to drop the bomb
Ban Ki-moon-Secretary General of the United Nations
The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 marked an end and a
beginning. The close of the Second World War ushered in a Cold War, with
a precarious peace based on the threat of mutually assured destruction.
Today the world is at another turning point. The assumption that nuclear
weapons are indispensable to keeping the peace is crumbling. Disarmament
is back on the global agenda - and not a moment too soon. A groundswell
of new international initiatives will soon emerge to move this agenda
forward.
Ban Ki-moon |
The Cold War’s end, twenty years ago this autumn, was supposed to
provide a peace dividend. Instead, we find ourselves still facing
serious nuclear threats. Some stem from the persistence of more than
20,000 nuclear weapons and the contagious doctrine of nuclear
deterrence. Others relate to nuclear tests - more than a dozen in the
post-Cold War era, aggravated by the constant testing of long-range
missiles. Still others arise from concerns that more countries or even
terrorists might be seeking the bomb.
For decades, we believed that the terrible effects of nuclear weapons
would be sufficient to prevent their use. The superpowers were likened
to a pair of scorpions in a bottle, each knowing a first strike would be
suicidal.
Today’s expanding nest of scorpions, however, means that no one is
safe. The Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States -
holders of the largest nuclear arsenals - recognize this. They have
endorsed the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, most recently at
their Moscow Summit, and are seeking new reductions.
Many efforts are underway worldwide to achieve this goal. Earlier
this year, the 65-member Conference on Disarmament - the forum that
produces multilateral disarmament treaties - broke a deadlock and agreed
to negotiations on a fissile material treaty. Other issues it will
discuss include nuclear disarmament and security assurances for
non-nuclear-weapon states.
In addition, Australia and Japan have launched a major international
commission on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. My own
multimedia ‘WMD-WeMustDisarm!’ campaign, which will culminate on the
International Day of Peace (September 21), will reinforce growing calls
for disarmament by former statesmen and grassroots campaigns, such as
‘Global Zero.’ These calls will get a further boost in September when
civil society groups gather in Mexico City for a UN-sponsored conference
on disarmament and development.
Though the UN has been working on disarmament since 1946, two
treaties negotiated under UN auspices are now commanding the world’s
attention. Also in September, countries that have signed the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) will meet at the UN to
consider ways to promote its early entry into force. North Korea’s
nuclear tests, its missile launches and its threats of further
provocation lend new urgency to this cause.
Next May, the UN will also host a major five-year review conference
involving the parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),
which will examine the state of the treaty’s ‘grand bargain’ of
disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
If the CTBT can enter into force, and if the NPT review conference makes
progress, the world would be off to a good start on its journey to a
world free of nuclear weapons. My own five-point plan to achieve this
goal begins with a call for the NPT Parties to pursue negotiations in
good faith - as required by the treaty - on nuclear disarmament, either
through a new convention or through a series of mutually reinforcing
instruments backed by a credible system of verification. Disarmament
must be reliably verified.
Nuclear explosion over Nagasaki. Courtesy: Google.lk |
Second, I urged the Security Council to consider other ways to
strengthen security in the disarmament process, and to assure
non-nuclear-weapon states against nuclear weapons threats.
I proposed to the Council that it convene a summit on nuclear
disarmament, and I urged non-NPT states to freeze their own weapon
capabilities and make their own disarmament commitments. Disarmament
must enhance security.
My third proposal relates to the rule of law. Universal membership in
multilateral treaties is key, as are regional nuclear-weapon-free zones
and a new treaty on fissile materials.
President Barack Obama’s support for US ratification of the CTBT is
welcome - the treaty only needs a few more ratifications to enter into
force. Disarmament must be rooted in legal obligations. My fourth point
addresses accountability and transparency. Countries with nuclear
weapons should publish more information about what they are doing to
fulfil their disarmament commitments.
While most of these countries have revealed some details about their
weapons programs, we still do not know how many nuclear weapons exist
worldwide. The UN Secretariat could serve as a repository for such data.
Disarmament must be visible to the public.
Finally, I am urging progress in eliminating other weapons of mass
destruction and limiting missiles, space weapons and conventional arms -
all of which are needed for a nuclear-weapon-free world. Disarmament
must anticipate emerging dangers from other weapons.
This, then, is my plan to drop the bomb. Global security challenges
are serious enough without the risks from nuclear weapons or their
acquisition by additional states or non-state actors. Of course,
strategic stability, trust among nations, and the settlement of regional
conflicts would all help to advance the process of disarmament.
Yet disarmament has its own contributions to make in serving these
goals and should not be postponed.
It will restore hope for a more peaceful, secure and prosperous
future. It deserves everybody’s support.
Courtesy: DAILY NEWS EGYPT
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