CIAO DATE: 06/2012
June 2009
James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
In late April 2009, the Policy Planning Staff of the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany requested that the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) undertake studies on four emerging issues in the fields of arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation, to be completed by June 15, 2009. The four issues were: The need to address the interrelationship between nuclear and conventional arms reduction, if the United States wants to entice others to go along the path to Global Zero. The world after drastic nuclear arms reductions, including the fear of U.S. conventional superiority/global strike capabilities; The need (and promising areas) to make (nuclear) arms control and disarmament a strong component of NATO's new strategic concept; Missile Defense, also covering a possible threat from others than Iran and the need to bring missile defense into the NATO-Russia Council; and Substrategic nuclear weapons, with a description of a way to achieve mutual transparency, reduction, and elimination in Europe. The four papers accompanying this overview analyze these issues and propose strategies that the government of Germany might pursue to reduce nuclear dangers in each of these areas. Some strategies encourage intervention in the immediate future, for example, within the councils of NATO and the EU, or in dialogue with the United States; others take a longer term perspective, proposing, for example, that efforts be launched now to prepare the way for later stages of the disarmament process. In each case, the authors have tried to give attention to and build upon relevant attributes of Germany’s unique geopolitical status as prominent member of the EU and NATO, non-nuclear weapon state, provider of enriched uranium and nuclear equipment, and leading economic power.
Resource link: Four Emerging Issues in Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation: Opportunities for German Leadership [PDF] - 4.9M