10. Nuclear arms control*
Shannon Kile

In 1997 there were a number of positive developments in strategic nuclear arms control. The US and Russian presidents agreed on a set of measures to boost the prospects for START II Treaty ratification by the Russian Parliament; they also agreed on the outline of a follow-on treaty that would further reduce nuclear arsenals and help to make those cuts irreversible. The USA and Russia also reached an agreement in their stalemated negotiations to clarify the application of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty to theatre missile defence systems. The implementation of the START I Treaty continued to proceed ahead of schedule. Despite these accomplishments, key items on the nuclear arms control and disarmament agenda remained unresolved. START II continued to face an uncertain fate in the Russian Parliament.

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty had yet to enter into force and at the Conference on Disarmament no progress was made towards negotiating a global convention banning the production of fissile material for military purposes.

The nuclear weapon-free zones in Asia and Africa are discussed by Amitav Acharya and Sola Ogunbanwo in appendix 10B. The Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Bangkok) entered into force in 1997. Since no South-East Asian countries currently possess nuclear weapons, the main purpose of the treaty is to regulate the policies of the nuclear weapon states. As of 1 January 1998, owing to disagreement over certain provisions and language, none of the nuclear weapon states had signed the protocol to the treaty, which prohibits these states from using or threatening to use nuclear arms not only against the parties to the treaty but also anywhere within the zone. During 1997 progress was made towards securing the entry into force of the African Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Pelindaba). It was signed by 47 and ratified by 2 African states as of 1 January 1998, and another 4 states had ratified it by April 1998. The treaty represents an important achievement for the continent in regional security cooperation and is the only accord of this kind that establishes a zone that includes a former nuclear weapon state - South Africa.

Appendix 10A, by Robert S. Norris and William M. Arkin, contains tables of nuclear forces.

Appendix 10B, by Amitav Acharya and Sola Ogunbanwo, is a study of the nuclear weapon-free zones in Africa and Asia.