Important info

Question 1

What is the classic purpose of arms control?

Answer 1

*All the forms of military cooperation between potential enemies in the interest of reducing the likelihood of war, its scope and violence if it occurs, and the political and economic costs of being prepared for it

Question 2

Does arms control require mutual interest?

Answer 2

Yes, but not the same interests
-Trust in the value of engaging but not verification

Question 3

Forms of arms control?

Answer 3

Legally binding v Not
Bilateral, Unilateral, Multilateral
Symmetric or asymmetric

Question 4

What is verification?

Answer 4

-Assessing compliance
-Monitoring mechanisms also provide information about adversaries that might be difficult to gain otherwise

Question 5

What is a nuclear warhead?

Answer 5

explosive & Nuclear material (plutonium or highly enriched uranium)

Question 6

What are nuclear delivery vehicles

Answer 6

*Intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine launched ballistic missiles, or bombers on aircrafts
*Nuclear weapons: nuclear warhead & the vehicle it is on

Question 7

What are the countries with nuclear weapons?

Answer 7

*Russia, US, China, UK, France, Pakistan, Israel, India, and North Korea

Question 8

Why is disarmament a goal?

Answer 8

It is desirable internationally, prevents the consequences of large scale nuclear war, prevents accidents, seen as IMMORAL, not as useful against terrorism, cyberattacks, and civil conflicts

Question 9

Why is disarmament hard to coordinate?

Answer 9

Not all countries want the same thing such as number of nuclear weapons or verification measures

Question 10

Why may some be against disarmament?

Answer 10

• Can’t get rid of knowledge entirely
  *How to prevent rearmament?
  *How irreversible does it need to be?

Question 11

What are challenges to arms control today?

Answer 11

• US domestic politics
• China’s growing arsenal
• Verification challenges for future arms control
• Emerging technologies
  o Space
  o AI
  o Disinformation

Question 12

Why are arms control agreements so rare?

Answer 12

Because it is hard to get the right balance of transparency and secrecy; MORE is not always a good thing

Question 13

Is the transparency tradeoff always severe?

Answer 13

Yes and No
oSevere when capabilities are easy to conceal/hard to detect
oLess severe when cheating can be easily detected and/ or there is strong unilateral monitoring

Question 14

what is unilateral verification

Answer 14

the other side doesn’t have to voluntarily give info because you have spy tech
oSatellites, radar, and electronic surveillance capabilities
oDoesn’t necessarily require a treaty

Question 15

What is cooperative monitoring?

Answer 15

-Onsite inspections and data reporting
-Usually requires a treaty

Question 16

What is Hedley Bull’s main argument about arms control and world order?

Answer 16

oArgument: bilateral arms control serves the interest of the states involved but does not improve the security of other states as well

Question 17

Arms control as an advantage?

Answer 17

*Argument: arms control can create or lock-in one state’s military advance
*Example: anti-ballistic missile treaty as an opportunity to preserve the US nuclear advantage
Overtime did not provide as much advantage as it was thought it would preserved stability and equated vulnerability

Question 18

Arms control as a wedge?

Answer 18

• Strategy of accommodation: a state can accommodate another country to oppose another
• Argument: arms control negotiations with one adversary can drive or deepen a wedge between that adversary and one of its partners/allies

Question 19

What is the Jackson amendment?

Answer 19

a condition set on an approval, in this case SALT
-approve salt only under condition that all treaties with US and USSR have equal limits

Question 20

which treaty did congress not ratify?

Answer 20

Salt II & Comprehensive test ban treaty

Question 21

How did China’s domestic politics change?

Answer 21

Under Mao, China saw NW as a deterrent and was not scared. Under Jingping, there was a massive build of China’s arsenal

Question 22

What did New Start do?

Answer 22

-Limits some new Russian delivery vehicles that did not exist when the treaty was negotiated
-extended until 2026
*Freedom to mix among ICBMs, SLBMs, and bombers
*Extensive data exchange and on-site inspections
*Bilateral consultative commission to work out disagreements
-RUSSIA SUSPENDED COMPLIANCE IN 2023

Question 23

What is the US strategic posture commission report?

Answer 23

*The current strategy is not working to defend vital interests and improve strategic stability with China and Russia
*Called for more nuclear weapons
*Doesn’t talk about Russian and China’s response `

Question 24

What was the Start Treaty?

Answer 24

*1600 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers for each side
*6000 nuclear warheads on ICBMs, SLBM, and heavy bombers, with maximums per missile type
*Verification through national technical means and on-site inspections
*1992 Lisbon Protocol: Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan become parties to START and commit to join NPT as nonnuclear weapon states
*Expired December 2009

Question 25

What did the Presidential Nuclear Initiatives do?

Answer 25

*Removes almost all us tactical weapons from Europe *Unilateral reductions: reciprocity was not required *No verification *Domestic politics: Senate opposed spending on nuclear weapons

Question 26

What was the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty?

Answer 26

*Bans all nuclear explosions *Unusual treaty structure: 44 specific states must ratify before treaty enters into force (36 have ratified) *Never ratified by US (congress did not approve ratification) but IS complies with it *International monitoring system set up to detect nuclear tests *Russia withdrew in 2023

Question 27

What was the Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty?

Answer 27

*Russia wanted a legally binding treaty similar to START; US did not *Compromise: legally binding treaty limiting each side to 1700-2200 strategic nuclear warheads oCan meet that limit however they want oNo detailed verification provisions oNo agreed definition of strategic nuclear warheads

Question 28

What was the Budapest Memorandum

Answer 28

Ukraine gives up nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances from US, UK, and Russia oAlso join NPT as a nonnuclear state

Question 29

What is Nun-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction?

Answer 29

*Removed all nuclear missiles and warheads located in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine -Project sapphire removed 1320 lbs. of weapons-grade uranium from Kazakhstan -Megatons to megawatts program down blended uranium and plutonium for energy *Provided civilian employment for 22,000 former nuclear scientists *The US safely transports the nuclear weapons back to Russia to be used back on US

Question 30

Why was South Africa unique?

Answer 30

oBegan exploring nuclear energy program in 1960s o1974? Start weaponization program oLate 1970s: conducts secret nuclear test VELA incident o1980s: built 6 uranium nuclear bombs o1992: shut down nuclear test site and uranium enrichment facility, joins NPT o1993: announces past nuclear weapons program -invited the IAEA to inspect and verify details to give assurance that program was dismanteled

Question 31

What was the Hotline Agreement of 1963?

Answer 31

oPreviously no means of direct, secure communication between heads of US and USSR during a crisis oSpurred by Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) Communication through regular diplomatic channels was slow and confused despite the urgency of the crisis oIntended to reduce risks of misperception and miscommunication

Question 32

What was the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963?

Answer 32

o Prohibits nuclear weapons tests “or any other nuclear explosion” in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater o Driven by concern over human + environmental impacts of nuclear tests o Preceded by moratorium on testing 1959-1961 o Verification with national technical means only

Question 33

What was the SALT treaty 1972?

Answer 33

oFroze the number of missile launchers the United States and the Soviet Union could maintain (1,054 ICBM silos for US; 1,618 silos for USSR) oLimit on further buildup of SLBM launchers (710 for US; 950 for USSR) oVerified through national technical means oWarheads not counted; assumed each launcher contains one warhead

Question 34

What was the ABM treaty of 1972?

Answer 34

oABM system could allow one side to launch a first strike and then prevent the other from retaliating by shooting down incoming missiles oLimited missile defenses to 200 interceptors per side and two missile defense sites (to protect the national capital and to protect one ICBM field) oAcceptance of mutually assured destruction oUS withdrew from treaty in 2002 and began reinvesting in missile defense

Question 35

What was the SALT II treaty of 1979?

Answer 35

-Limit on weapons -Ban on new land-based ICBMs oNever entered into force but both sides followed its terms oUS withdrew its commitment in 1986 citing concerns over USSR’s compliance

Question 36

What was the INF treaty of 1987?

Answer 36

oShift from caps on further growth to reductions of existing stockpiles oBanned all ballistic missiles and cruise missiles with a range between 300-3,400 miles oBoth nuclear and conventional oOn-site inspections + verification by national technical means oUS raises concerns about Russian noncompliance beginning in 2014 o US withdraws in 2019; Russia follows

Question 37

What were nuclear risk reduction centers of 1987?

Answer 37

o Secure communication channel to transmit notifications required by treaties + agreements oEstablished to reduce the risk of conflict or accidental nuclear war between the US and Russia that might result from miscalculations or

Question 38

What were similarities across cold war arms control?

Answer 38

*Focus is on maintaining stability; reducing incentives and ability to launch a devastating first strike *Reductions of existing weapons not until 1980s *Legally binding treaties *Bilateral (except LTBT) *Verification through national technical means (except INF) *Restricted in scope

Question 39

What drives different bureaucracies in arms control decisions?

Answer 39

o such as money and influence o independence decision making o funding o relative prestige/importance

Question 40

What is the department of state's role?

Answer 40

o Bilateral relations with other countries o Leads negotiation of arms control initiatives

Question 41

What is the DOD role?

Answer 41

o Nuclear deterrence strategy o Production and operation of nuclear weapons delivery vehicles

Question 42

What is the Department of energy national nuclear security administration (NNSA)'s role?

Answer 42

o Production of nuclear weapons parts o Assuring reliability of nuclear arsenal without testing

Question 43

What are intelligence agencies role?

Answer 43

o Monitoring compliance via national technical means

Question 44

What is the National security council/national security advisor's role?

Answer 44

oCoordinates interagency on arms control policy oAdvises the president

Question 45

what is is hierarchy in china (domestic)

Answer 45

o CCP o People’s liberation army o PLA rocket force (responsible for nuclear missiles) o Ministry of foreign affairs

Question 46

Treaty of Prohibition on Nuclear Weapons?

Answer 46

oFrustration with status quo in NPT: nonnuclear weapon states viewed nuclear weapon states as making insufficient progress towards their disarmament commitments -Treaty Requirements Requires IAEA safeguards Prohibits development, resting, production, acquisition, possession, stockpiling using or threatening to use nuclear weapons Does not specify how disarmament would take place or be verified Assistance for victims of nuclear testing and environmental remediation oFirst new multilateral treaty on nuclear weapons in over 15 years oSupported by international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons oRatified by 70 states and 23 have signed but not ratified

Question 47

what is the Acheson-Lilienthal report?

Answer 47

-Called for the creation of International Atomic development authority to oversee: *Mining & use of fissile materials *Operation of all nuclear facilities that could produce weaponry *Authority to dispense licenses to countries wishing to pursue peaceful nuclear research -Dual purpose of preventing dangerous activities and encouraging peaceful nuclear research

Question 48

What is the Baruch Plan of 1946?

Answer 48

*Proposed stripping UNSC members of their veto power on issue of UN sanctions against countries engaged in prohibited activities *International agency would license and inspect uranium mining operations but not own them (National ownership) -Presented to UN atomic energy commission -USSR nuclear testing in 1949 ended consideration of this plan

Question 49

The importance of the Reykjavik Summit (1986)?

Answer 49

-Reagan and Gorbachev agree in 1985 that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought -1986: G sends R a letter with a three stage plan for nuclear disarmament by 2000 -Many in US gov disregard as propaganda -Reagan takes it seriously and responds with counterproposals -G proposes eliminating all strategic nuclear forces by 1996 and no withdrawal from ABM treaty during this period -Summit fails due to disagreements over missile defense -Leads to 1987 INF treaty which bans all intermediate range missiles

Question 50

What created the IAEA in 1957?

Answer 50

Atoms for peace speech