Arms Control
64 Articles

The Trump Administration’s Nuclear Test Delusions
Resuming testing provides no strategic benefit and would undermine a treaty that has curbed the spread of nuclear weapons for more than 50 years.

Yes, Congress, There Is Something You Can Do About Reckless Arms Sales
Recently proposed sales are particularly problematic given reports of unlawful retransfers and irresponsible, if not illegal, end use by both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.…

Let’s Make a Deal: How to Mitigate the Risk of Hypersonic Weapons
Despite the destructive capability of hypersonic weapons, international arms control law currently does little to regulate their development, testing, or production.

Trump’s Aim to Go Big on Nuclear Arms Control Should Begin by Extending New START
If President Trump actually seeks to avoid an arms race, maintain a cap on the Russian nuclear arsenal, and create the conditions for follow-on talks with Russia and new negotiations…

The Once and Future Threat of Nuclear Weapon Testing
Some Trump administration officials have signaled hostility to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and an interest in the United States resuming nuclear weapon testing, which could…

Cooking the WMD Books: Politicizing the 2019 State Department Compliance Report
"I know. I used to work in State Department’s Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance and then in the Office of the Under Secretary responsible for this report.…

How the “Arms Sales Oversight Act” Could Prevent American Arms from Contributing to the Next Overseas Crisis
The debate over U.S. complicity in Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe is coming to a head in the Senate, with a series of votes on the Sanders-Lee-Murphy war powers resolution.…

Options for Congress to Respond to Saudi Transgressions: Here’s What Works according to Former Senior U.S. Officials
Former senior officials weigh in on options for Congress to respond to Khashoggi crisis, Yemen War, and US-Saudi policy more generally.

Nuclear Arms Control After Helsinki: If Trump and Putin Want a Deal on Arms Control, Here’s Where to Start
Amid the uncertainty surrounding the discussion between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in their two-hour summit meeting without staff in Helsinki,…

Saudi Arabia’s Misleading Email to Congress After Bombing of MSF Cholera Hospital
On a recent Wednesday night in June, Saudi Arabia’s embassy emailed members of the U.S. Congress providing them something between a false and misleading account of an air strike…

With New U.S. Arms Sale Pending–What Happened to Saudi Assurances on Civilian Casualties in Yemen?
To get an arms sale past Congress last year, Saudi Arabia promised $750 million to prevent civilian casualties in Yemen. The civilian death toll has since risen.

The Devastating Legacy of British and American Nuclear Testing at Kiritimati (Christmas) and Malden Islands
Teeua Tetua was a child during the British nuclear weapons tests, known as Operation Grapple, on the Kiritimati (Christmas) and Malden Islands, then under British colonial control.…