Suchergebnisse

The land mines treaty of 1997 and the recent agreement to get rid of cluster munitions have outlawed whole categories of weapons. Small arms present an equally dangerous, but much more complex, problem. The United Nations will target it again this month. Adapted from the source document.

More than four years after the 1999 Agreement on Adaptation of the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty) was signed, the conventional arms control process in Europe remains deadlocked. The main sticking point continues to be Russia's non-compliance with the commitments it made at the 1999 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Istanbul Summit, particularly those regarding the withdrawal of Russian military forces from Georgia and Moldova. The second wave of NATO enlargement caused Russia to intensify its diplomatic and political rhetoric in 2003 and early 2004, alleging that enlargement would deal a 'fatal blow' to the European conventional arms control regime. The resulting confrontation has made both NATO and Russia aware of the need to find a means to deal with the problem. In 2003 the OSCE participating states remained focused on improving certain norm- and standard-setting measures (NSSMs) and developing new ones in order to better respond to the various threats and challenges facing Europe and its perimeter. In 2003 a Handbook of Best Practices on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) was published to assist participating states in implementing the 2000 OSCE SALW Document. A great deal of work was also done to promote the 1994 Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security (COC) in the states of Central Asia and the Caucasus and in other former Soviet states. The OSCE's efforts to combat terrorism led the participating states to propose new arms control-related initiatives. Most significantly, at the OSCE Maastricht Ministerial Council, the OSCE Document on Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition was adopted, setting out a process whereby requesting states would receive assistance with the destruction of their surplus ammunition. The Treaty on Open Skies had a smooth second year of implementation. Three states ratified the treaty in 2003, and several others are in the process of doing so. In the Balkans, regional arms control continues to work well, evidently unaffected by political, economic and other factors in the region. Although the European conventional arms control regime is by far the most advanced of its type in the world, significant progress is being made in other regions. Within the framework of the Organization of American States (OAS), headway was made in 2003 in elaborating the confidence -- and security -- building measures (CSBMs) process in the western hemisphere. A Meeting of Experts on CSBMs took place in Miami, Florida, which built on earlier meetings organized during the 1990s. Recommendations were made on voluntary CSBMs dealing with both traditional and new security threats. At the November Meeting of States Parties to the 1981 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW Convention), Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) was adopted. Among other things, the protocol commits signatories to clear or assist in the clearance of ERW following armed conflicts. The protocol was opened for signature and ratification. The attention given to restricting the use of anti-vehicle mines demonstrates the willingness of states to mitigate the consequences of the use of weapons that predominantly affect civilians. Adapted from the source document.

Since the end of the Cold War, the Middle East has been the focus of various projects for the establishment of arms control (including CBMs) regimes. Whereas some of these projects were initiated at the global level, others were discussed and debated at the regional level. This book analyses the global and regional dynamics of arms control in the Middle East in the post-Cold War era. It examines American and European arms control projects, the contexts in which they were presented, the reactions of major regional actors, and their impacts on arms control efforts in the region. It assesses Arab perceptions of the motivations for and constraints on establishing arms control regimes. It also explores the prospects of regional arms control in the context of the ongoing Arab Spring with its ramifications for Arab regional politics, and provides a new perspective on arms control in the Middle East. This volume enriches the ongoing discourse, which to date has been dominated by mainly Western perspectives

The conventional arms control regime in Europe faces two political challenges: the deadlock over the entry into force of the 1999 Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty, & the enlargement of NATO by the admission of the Baltic states. The Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe participants continue to focus their efforts on adapting & employing confidence-building measures to meet the threat of terrorism. The OSCE made progress in enhancing the confidence- & security-building measures (CSBMs) embodied by the Small Arms & Light Weapons Document & the International Code of Conduct. At the regional level, the first attempt to use CSBMs with regard to naval activities was a significant development. 2 Tables. Adapted from the source document.

THE CONCEPT OF NUCLEAR STABILITY ONLY MAKES REAL SENSE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF A PROCESS OF NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT. AS A MEANS OF COORDINATING THE BEHAVIOR OF NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS DO MUCH TO FACILITATE A PROCESS OF DISARMAMENT. BUT AS LONG AS THE PARTIES FAIL TO BRING THE STRUGGLE FOR SUPERIORITY TO A HALT, DISARMAMENT TALKS ARE A WASTE OF TIME. INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY NATIONAL POLICIES ARE ARMS RESTRAINT.