Verifying Zero: Long-Term Aims, Short-Term Steps

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Other

Verifying Zero: Long-Term Aims, Short-Term Steps

Nuclear-armed states and non-nuclear-weapon states alike can and should work together in the short term to overcome the technical challenges of verifying disarmament and help advance the longer-term goal of abolishing nuclear weapons.

By James M. Acton

Published on Jan 1, 2010

Source: UNODA Occasional Paper No. 18

Verifying nuclear disarmament poses an unprecedented technical challenge. There can never be certainty that nuclear-armed States have not retained militarily significant stockpiles of fissile material. In the short term, to help prevent these uncertainties from becoming a roadblock in the future, these steps could, inter alia, (a) collect and archive information about fissile material production; (b) place information about fissile material production and holdings in the public domain; (c) be more transparent about civilian nuclear materials; and (d) implement the proposed Fissile Material Control Initiative. On their part, non-nuclear-weapon states could be prepared to recognize these as meaningful steps towards disarmament.

About the Author

James M. Acton

Jessica T. Mathews Chair, Co-director, Nuclear Policy Program

Acton holds the Jessica T. Mathews Chair and is co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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