Existing regional nuclear-weapon-free zones: precedents that could inform the development of an Arctic nuclear-weapon-free zone

At the end of the Cold War in 1989, there were unprecedented possibilities for major breakthroughs in arms control and disarmament. These opportunities were largely lost through a lack of political will on the part of the world leaders at the time, and the trenchant opposition to multilateralism on...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hamel-Green, Michael
Other Authors: Vestergaard, Cindy
Format: Book Part
Language:unknown
Published: Danish Institute for International Studies 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:https://vuir.vu.edu.au/8315/
http://www.diis.dk/graphics/Publications/Reports2010/RP2010-03_arctic_nuclear_weapon_free_zone_web.pdf
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Summary:At the end of the Cold War in 1989, there were unprecedented possibilities for major breakthroughs in arms control and disarmament. These opportunities were largely lost through a lack of political will on the part of the world leaders at the time, and the trenchant opposition to multilateralism on the part of a Republican controlled Congress under Clinton and a Republican Administration under George W. Bush. We are now at another turning point in history when the leadership in countries all over the world is beginning to appreciate better the need for global cooperation and multilateral action on a number of fronts, not least climate change and nuclear threats. We are also at a point where the accession of the Obama Administration in Washington, and the advent of a Democrat controlled Congress more open to multilateral initiatives, opens a new window of opportunity for arms control.