Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)

LARRY GILMAN The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is an international agreement designed to end the testing of n !lear e"plosives# As of Mar!h$ %&&'$ the (nited )tates is one of the *++ states that have signed the treaty$ , t the CTBT -ill only .enter into for!e. (i#e#$ ta/e on the for!e of la- for all ratifying states) -hen 00 .n !lear1!apa,le. !o ntries spe!ifi!ally listed in the treaty have all ratified the treaty# 2f these 00 states$ India$ 3a/istan$ and North 4orea have ref sed to sign$ and *' (in!l ding the (#)#) have signed , t not ratified# Nuclear Testing. N !lear testing is the detonation of n !lear -eapons for test p rposes# Testing is needed to verify ne- ,om, designs and to o,serve the effe!ts of n !lear -eapons (e#g#$ types and amo nts of radiation prod !ed)# The first n !lear test$ !odenamed Trinity$ -as !ond !ted ,y the (nited )tates on 5 ly *+$ *607$ near Alamagordo$ Ne- Me"i!o# )in!e that time$ si" other nationsChina$ 8ran!e$ India$ 3a/istan$ the )oviet (nion$ and the (nited 4ingdom have !ond !ted n !lear tests# ()ome e"perts assert$ ,ased on (#)# intelligen!e satellite data$ that Israel and )o th Afri!a may have !ond !ted a 9oint n !lear test at sea in *6:6#) The most re!ent n !lear test -as !ond !ted ,y India$ on May '&$ *66;# N !lear tests !an ,e !ond !ted ndergro nd$ nder -ater$ in spa!e$ or in the atmosphere# No n !lear -eapon has ever ,een tested in spa!e$ , t appro"imately %&7& have ,een detonated in vario s environments on <arth# Before *6+%$ most tests -ere !ond !ted in the atmosphere= the (#)# !ond !ted *6' atmospheri! tests ,et-een *60+ and *6+%$ and the )oviet (nion !ond !ted *0% s !h tests ,et-een *60; and *6+%# > ring the late *67&s and early *6+&s$ these atmospheri! tests ,e!ame a glo,al politi!al !on!ern ,e!a se of the radioa!tive s ,stan!es they released into the air (fallo t)# The most pro,lemati! of these ,yprod !ts -as iodine *'*$ a radioa!tive isotope of iodine# Iodine *'*$ -hi!h is !hemi!ally identi!al to ordinary iodine$ !an settle on grass$ ,e !ons med ,y !o-s$ !on!entrate in mil/$ and f rther !on!entrate in the thyroid glands of h man ,eings -ho drin/ the mil/$ espe!ially !hildren# Atmospheri! testing in the *67&s and early *6+&s released large ? antities of iodine *'* into the atmosphere= in *66:$ the (#)# National Can!er Instit te estimated that *+& million people in the (nited )tates had ,een e"posed to some level of iodine *'* from (#)# n !lear tests !ond !ted in Nevada$ and that these e"pos res -o ld$ over time$ !a se '&$&&&:7$&&& !ases of thyroid !an!er# Altho gh the e"tent of fallo t e"pos re -as not /no-n at the time to ,e this large$ p ,li! sentiment against testing ,e!ame strong# As a res lt$ the (#)#$ (nited 4ingdom$ and )oviet (nion signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty on 5 ly %7$ *6+'# The Limited Test Ban Treaty for,ade the detonation of n !lear -eapons in the air$ the sea$ or spa!e# The treaty -ent into effe!t on 2!to,er **$ *6+'= ,oth s perpo-ers !ond !ted a fl rry of atmospheri! tests ,efore the deadline$ after -hi!h testing moved ndergro nd# The (#)# and )oviet (nion had attempted to negotiation a .!omprehensive. test ,an treaty in *6+'that is$ an agreement to ,an all n !lear tests, t !o ld not !ome to agreement on te!hni!al details# Also$ military offi!ials of ,oth !o ntries opposed a !omprehensive test ,an$ -ishing to !ontin e developing ne- varieties of n !lear -eapon# The Limited Test Ban Treaty !ommitted its signatories to !ontin ing to see/$ in the -ords of the treaty@s first arti!le$ .the dis!ontin an!e of all test e"plosions of n !lear -eapons for all time. in other -ords$ a !omprehensive test ,an treaty# The ne"t legal step to-ard this goal o!! rred in *6:0$ -hen the Treaty on (ndergro nd N !lear Aeapons Tests (also /no-n as the Threshold Test Ban Treaty) -as signed ,y the (#)# and )oviet (nion# This treaty for,ade either nation to !ond !t an ndergro nd test of any n !lear -eapon -ith an e"plosive for!e greater than *7& /ilotons (i#e#$ e? ivalent to that of *7&$&&& tons of TNT Btrinitrotol eneC)# The treaty has ,een o,served ,y ,oth parties sin!e *6:0$ , t did not enter into f ll legal for!e ntil >e!em,er **$ *66&$ -hen (#)# !on!erns a,o t verifi!ation had

,een met# (Derifi!ation of a n !lear test ,an treaty re? ires the !olle!tion of seismi! and other data to ass re that no test has ,een se!retly performed that e"!eeds the limits of the agreement#) In *66*$ )oviet 3resident Mi/hail Gor,a!hev anno n!ed that the )oviet (nion -o ld nilaterally !ease n !lear testing for one year# In *66%$ a ,ill -as passed ,y ,oth ho ses of the (#)# Congress mandating a nilateral (#)# testing moratori m to respond to the )oviet testing halt# This ,ill -as signed into la- ,y 3resident George E# B sh on 2!to,er %$ *66%# Neither R ssia (the n !lear inheritor1state of the )oviet (nion) nor the (#)# have$ as of early %&&'$ !ond !ted any n !lear tests sin!e the ,eginnings of these moratoria# M ltinational negotiations to-ard a CTBT ,egan in Geneva$ )-itFerland on 5an ary %7$ *660# In 5 ne *667$ -hile CTBT negotiations -ere still nder -ay$ 8ran!e anno n!ed that it -o ld res me n !lear testing# This de!ision aro sed offi!ial protest from many governments$ in!l ding that of the (nited )tates$ and a -orld-ide ,oy!ott of 8ren!h1made goods# China$ too$ -as !ontin ing to perform sporadi! n !lear tests d ring this period$ and on 5 ne %&$ *66+ India anno n!ed that it -o ld not sign the CTBT# Nevertheless$ on )eptem,er *&$ *66+$ the CTBT -as approved ,y a *7;1to1' vote of a spe!ial session of the (nited Nations General Assem,ly# 3resident Clinton signed the CTBT for the (#)# on )eptem,er %0$ *66+$ and -as soon follo-ed ,y representatives of many other states$ in!l ding China$ the (nited 4ingdom$ 8ran!e$ and R ssia# )in!e signing of the CTBT ,egan in *66+$ the only n !lear e"plosions to have ta/en pla!e have ,een the n !lear tests ,y 3a/istan and India in *66;$ a total of ** e"plosions# Ratification. 3resident Clinton@s *66+ signat re did not ma/e the CTBT ,inding la- for the (#)# (#)# !ommitment to s !h a treaty$ li/e that of most other states$ o!! rs in t-o stepsG first .signat re. (,y a president or ? alified am,assador)$ then .ratifi!ation. (formal agreement to the treaty ,y the legislative ,ody of the state$ e#g#$ 3arliament or Congress)# Many states o,ey the terms of treaties that they have signed , t not yet ratified$ -hile reserving to themselves the right to ,egin disregarding the provisions of the treaty at any time# The (#)# signed the CTBT in *66+$ , t the )enate ref sed in *666 to ratify (7* to 0;)# As of Mar!h %&&'$ (nited )tates president George A# B sh@s administration has stated that it intends to !ontin e o,serving the CTBT@s ,an on testing$ , t -ill not s pport ratifi!ation of the CTBT# Also$ administration offi!ials have indi!ated that the (#)# may$ at some time$ -ithdra- from the treaty altogether# The B sh administration@s N !lear 3ost re Revie- of %&&%$ a do! ment designed to g ide n !lear1-eapons strategy for years to !ome$ has re!ommended that the (#)# develop a !lass of relatively lo-1yield n !lear -eapons that -o ld dive deep into the gro nd (pro,a,ly at tho sands of miles per ho r) ,efore e"ploding= the goal of s !h -eapons$ termed Ro, st N !lear <arth 3enetrators or ., n/er , sters$. -o ld ,e to destroy deeply , ried targets# In order to develop s !h devi!es$ the (#)# -o ld have to res me testing of n !lear -eapons# Verification. Derifi!ation of the CTBT is a!!omplished ,y a glo,al system of sensors termed the International Monitoring )ystem (IM))# The IM) !onsists of sensors that dete!t ,om,1type vi,rations in the <arth$ o!eans$ and air (termed seismi!$ hydroa!o sti!$ and infrasoni! vi,rations$ respe!tively) and that test the air for radioa!tive s ,stan!es (radion !lides) -hi!h -o ld reveal the o!! rren!e of n !lear tests# The IM) is designed to a!!omodate *:& seismi! monitoring stations$ ** hydroa!o sti! stations$ +& infraso nd stations$ and ;& radion !lide1dete!ting stations# These a tomati! sensors$ deployed to provide glo,al !overage$ -ill report their data in real time via satellite to a monitoring !enter in Dienna$ A stria$ the International >ata Centre (I>C)# The IM) and I>C are r n ,y an independent gro p$ the Comprehensive N !lear1Test1Ban Treaty 2rganiFation# ()in!e the CTBT is not offi!ially .in for!e$. the Comprehensive N !lear1Test1 Ban Treaty 2rganiFation has ,een f nded ,y non,inding international agreement#) Constr !tion of the IM) ,egan in *66:# Regardless of the legal f t re of the CTBT itself$ the IM) -ill pro,a,ly !ontin e to provide high1? ality$ p ,li!ly1availa,le information a,o t n !lear testing -orld-ide#