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Supporting worldwide understanding of
South Asian non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament issues.
The Journal of South Asian
Non-Proliferation
is a Product of the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI)
CONTENTS
Special Features
Climate Change in South Asia: A Precursor
for Conflict?
NUCLEAR RELATED ISSUES
Bangladesh gets permission to set up nuclear power plant
IAEA to help China and Qatar on nuclear security
India-U.S Nuclear Deal Sputtering
Non-Proliferation Concerns about the Indo-US Nuclear deal are misplaced
Pakistan ÔbuildingÕ third plutonium reactor: ISIS
U.S., Pakistan Say Khan Network Dead
Defense analyst: U.S. must not overlook Pakistan Nuke Threat
MISSILE RELATED ISSUES
Asia-Pacific anti-missile system could destabilize region: China
BrahMos inducted into Army;
BrahMos inducted into Army; Kalam favours ÔhypersonicÕ version
Punching the U. S. MilitaryÕs ÒSoft RibsÓ: ChinaÕs AntiSatellite Weapon Test
in Strategic Perspective
US seeks to reassure China on missile defense
CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL RELATED
ISSUES
The 2006 BWC Review Conference, The Presidents Reflection
GENERAL NON-PROLIFERATION AND DISARMAMENT ISSUES
Expert says low risk of terrorist nuclear bomb
Indian Defense Chief says India-China relations undergo significant
improvement
New Warheads and non-proliferation
Rice Hopeful US-India pact not far off
US, Russia hail PakistanÕs move to combat nuclear terror
U.S upbeat about defense ties with China; military hotline likely
SUMMARIES
Climate
Change in South Asia: A Precursor for Conflict?, Nick Robson, Op-ed, South Asian Strategic Stability Institute, London, June, 2007. The
world is today at a tipping point in many areas, global warming, peak oil,
rapidly growing population levels and rapidly rising energy demand. The
global environmental situation facing the entire international community over
the balance of this century and beyond is fraught with danger. There is
a growing realization that achieving energy and climate security is at the
core of future global challenges, with implications that go well beyond their
traditional policy spheres. Given the possibilities for conflict created by
the changes in the global climate, whether it is over petroleum, uranium,
refugee flows, fresh water or food, it rapidly becomes apparent that in South
Asia, given its high population levels and the endemic poverty, that the
possibilities for conflict are overwhelming
Bangladesh
gets permission to set up nuclear power plant Xinhua, June 24, 2007. On June 24,
2007, The Xinhua news agency reported that Bangladesh has obtained permissionfrom the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) to set up a nuclear power plant to meet its growing demand of power. Bangladesh
is among eight countries who got the permissionofsetting up nuclear power plants. The other
countries which got the IAEA approval for setting up nuclear reactors include
Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt,
Morocco and some small
countries in Central Asia.
IAEA
to help China and Qatar on nuclear security UN News Centre, June 28, 2007. On
June 28, 2007, The UN news centre reported that it as made plans with China and Qatar to help the two countries
in developing their nuclear security regimes. This regime would help both
countries cover activities which are part of a broader plan to help countries
in improving their nuclear security regimes. The plan aims to achieve
improved worldwide security of nuclear and other radioactive material.
Indo-US Nuclear Deal
Sputtering, M. G. Srinath, WorldPress.org, June 7, 2007. The author reports that the
much-heralded, but controversial two-year-old India-United States civilian
nuclear deal was supposed to be the benchmark for the growing increased
strategic partnership between the two most vibrant democracies in the world.
However, the final bilateral agreement is just sputtering along the
diplomatic labyrinth, with the final post still a distance away.
Non-Proliferation
Concerns about the Indo-US Nuclear deal are misplaced Gurmeet Kanwal and Rudra Chaudhury,
Asian Tribune, vol. 7 no.1, June 27, 2007. The authors state that policy and
opinion makers in India
readily accept that the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement
represents a major concession that has been made by the US and fully
understand that it raises issues of concern for the international
non-proliferation community. However, they like to emphasise that this
privilege has been accorded in recognition of IndiaÕs responsible and
unblemished conduct in limiting horizontal proliferation and that sufficient
safeguards have been built into the deal to take care of the
non-proliferation concerns that might arise as fallout of its implementation.
Pakistan ÔbuildingÕ third plutonium
reactor: ISIS Khalid
Hassan, Daily Times, June 22, 2007. Pakistan appears to be building a
third plutonium production reactor at a nuclear site in Khushab district,
according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS). The
disclosure was based on commercial satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe taken
on June 3. The agency also added that ÒThe third reactor appears to be a
replica of the second heavy water reactor and is located a few hundred metres
to the north, though construction is progressing much more quickly than the
second.Ó
Jon Fox, Global Security Newswire, June
28, 2007. Years after the black market nuclear network associated with
Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan was exposed, details remain unknown and
the network is likely still in operation, a senior Democrat in the House of Representatives
said yesterday. The author quotes various officials who believes that the
network is still in operation in places like Dubai where nonproliferation laws are lax
to nonexistent.
U.S., Pakistan Say
Khan Network Dead Anwar Iqbal
Dawn, June 29, 2007. On June 29, 2007, Anwar Iqbal Dawn reported on the response of the U. S. officials against the U. S. law makers. According to U.
S officials and Pakistani officials, the Khan network has ceased to exist but
similar networks could be operative elsewhere.
U.S
Defense Analyst: U.S Must not Overlook Pakistan Nuke Threat Associated Press, June 25, 2007, A
defense policy expert says there's very little the United
States can do to prevent Iran
and North Korea
from becoming nuclear powers. He argues Pakistan
poses a more dangerous security threat to the U.S. than do both of those
countries.
Asia-Pacific
anti-missile system could destabilize region: China ABC News, June 2, 2007. At the recently concluded Shangri-la
dialogue in Singapore by
the International Institute of Strategic Studies, London,
ABC news reported that China
said that the join anti-missile system developed by USA, Japan
and Australia
could destabilize the region. They also mentioned that they would strongly
oppose the deployment of any such system.
BrahMos
Cruise Missile Inducted into Army The Times of India, June
21, 2007. On June 21, 2007, The Times of India reported that the Indian
Army became the first force in the world to be armed with surface-to-surface
supersonic cruise missile, with the induction of 290 km range BrahMos missile.
The US,
French and Chinese forces have only subsonic cruise missiles in their
armoury.
Brahmos inducted
into Army; Kalam favours ÔhypersonicÕ version Daily News & Analysis, June 21, 2007. On June 21, 2007, the Daily News &
Analysis reported that President A. P. J. Kalam urged the Indian scientists
that the country must move ahead with developing a 'hypersonic' version of
the supersonic cruise missile Brahmos to maintain supremacy in force levels.
He also insisted that India
should not only develop hypersonic vehicles but also reusable ones.
Punching
the U. S. MilitaryÕs ÒSoft RibsÓ: ChinaÕs AntiSatellite Weapon Test in
Strategic Perspective Ashley
Tellis, Policy Brief No. 51, Carnegie Endowment, June 2007. Ashley Tellis
challenges the conventional wisdom that ChinaÕs
antisatellite test (ASAT) was a protest against U.S.
space policy, arguing instead that it was part of a loftier strategy to
combat U.S. military
superiority and one that China
will not trade away in any arms-control regime. The author states that
Chinese analyses of U.S. military operations since Dessert Storm concluded
that U.S. military might depends inordinately on space-based systems for its
operational effectiveness and hence must be targeted if China is to be able
to stand up to the enormity of U.S. conventional military power.
US
seeks to reassure China on missile defense Jim Mannion, Agence France
Presse, June 2, 2007. On June 2, 2007, Jim Mannion of the AFP reported
from the Shangri-LA dialogue that US Defence Secretary Robert Gates offered China briefings on the US missile defence system to reassure them
that it does not threaten China's
nuclear deterrent. He further added that the US
system was designed to thwart limited attacks by rogue states or terrorists,
not to defeat a large-scale threat of the kind posed by the long-range
missile arsenals of Russia
and China.
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GENERAL
NON-PROLIFERATION AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
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Expert
says low risk of terrorist nuclear bomb, Mark Fitzpatrick, Agence France
Presse, June 1, 2007. According to Mark Fitzpatrick, a former US state
department non-proliferation official, said that while extremist groups could
acquire the technology to build a bomb, it would be difficult to get enough
fissile material even on the black market. He also added that the total volume of
plutonium or highly enriched uranium taken from all the reported cases of
nuclear smuggling worldwide was inadequate to build a weapon, he said ahead
of an international meeting of senior defence officials
Indian
Defense Chief says India-China relations undergo significant improvement, Xinhua, June 2, 2007. On June 2, 2007, Xinhua, the official
Chinese news agency quoted the Indian defense minister that the relationships
between India and China had a
significant improvement. He further added that "As we both expand and integrate
with the global economy, new opportunities offer themselves to refashion our
ties," Antony
told the sixth Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.
"On major global issues, we often have converging positions and shared
interests," he said at the second plenary session of the conference
titled "India and China:
Building International Stability."
New
warheads and non-proliferation, Michael Krepon, Daily Times, June 1, 2007. The author
expresses his views in the Daily Times about new warheads and non-proliferation.
According to the author, a more
holistic approach is needed in order for US national security to be
advanced and not negated by nuclear weapons. Rationales for reliable
replacement warheads are unlikely to be plausible if they rest on requirements
to execute war plans.
Rice
Hopeful US-India pact not far off, Associated Press, June 27, 2007. On June 27, 2007, the Associated
Pressed reported that Condoleeza Rice had expressed optimism regarding the
US-India nuclear deal. She acknowledged negotiations to conclude a nuclear
deal with India
were moving slowly, but she foresaw a deal by the end of the year.
U.S
upbeat about defense ties with China; military hotline likely, Associated
Press, June 2, 2007. On June 2, 2007, the Associated Press reported from the recently concluded Shangri-La
dialogue that the United
States expressed optimism about improving military ties
with China
while a senior Chinese general said the two nations will soon set up a
long-awaited defense hot line. The conciliatory comments by U.S. Defense
Secretary Robert Gates and Lt. Gen. Zhang Qinsheng marked a significant step
in warming relations between the two countriesÕ militaries that have long
been suspicious of each other.
US,
Russia hail PakistanÕs move to combat nuclear terror, Agence French
Presse, June 12, 2007. June
12, 2007, the AFP reported that The United States has welcomed Pakistan's decision to join a global programme
led by Washington and Moscow to combat nuclear terrorism. Islamabad on Saturday
announced its intention to join the "Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism" although its participation would reportedly not cover the
country's military nuclear programme and installations. About 50
countries are involved in the joint initiative launched by US President
George W Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin last July.
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South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI)
The South Asian Strategic
Stability Institute (SASSI) is an independent think tank dedicated to
promoting peace and stability in the South Asian region. SASSI
contributes to the international debate on contemporary South Asian
security issues through this and other substantive products.
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Journal
of South Asian Nonproliferation Issues
Produced by: SASSI, 36 Alie St., Aldgate East, London, E1 8DA, UK
Copyright
2007
All rights reserved.
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