IngentaConnect Security through Disarmament: The Story of the Weapons of Mass De...

Author: Rydell, Randy¹

Source: The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, Volume 2, Number 1, April 2007 , pp. 81-91(11)

Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, an imprint of Brill

Abstract:

The world has been trying to eliminate weapons of mass destruction (WMD) — nuclear, biological and chemical arms — for over half a century. Yet many such weapons remain, and progress in nuclear disarmament has been especially disappointing. The chronic failure to achieve agreed WMD disarmament mandates has prompted the creation of several independent international commissions to find some solutions. The WMD Commission created by Sweden in late 2003 was the latest such venture, and its 2006 report has received international acclaim. Chaired by Hans Blix, the Commission covered disarmament, non-proliferation and counter-terrorism issues, and did so from a variety of policy dimensions, from unilateral action through fully multilateral cooperation. Written by a member of the Commission's secretariat staff, this article tells the story of the Commission: how it conducted its work, what it proposed and what impacts it has had — and may yet have — in revitalizing WMD disarmament efforts.

Keywords: WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION (WMD); INDEPENDENT COMMISSION ON WMD; HANS BLIX; UNITED NATIONS; JAYANTHA DHANAPALA; NUCLEAR WEAPONS; DISARMAMENT; NON-PROLIFERATION; COUNTER-TERRORISM; NPT; CTBT; WEAPONS OF TERROR REPORT

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1163/187119007X180485

Affiliations: 1: Department for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations, New York, United States

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Security through Disarmament: The Story of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission