Campagne internationale de boycott des multinationales des USA

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Almost all countries in the world, including the United States, have signed up to the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). This treaty obliges all countries to negotiate a treaty banning nuclear weapons. Instead, George W. Bush is pushing for the development of new nuclear weapons, refuses to take even small steps towards nuclear disarmament, and shares his nuclear weapons with NATO allies (this sharing of nuclear weapons is also banned under the NPT).

The United States currently has the world's largest nuclear weapons force, almost with an estimated stockpile of almost 10,000 weapons. Each of these nuclear weapons could kill many thousands of people [1], and cause huge environmental destruction.

Fifteen years after the end of the Cold War, the United States continues to spend billions of dollars annually to maintain and upgrade its nuclear forces. It has nuclear weapons on land, in the air and under the sea.

It is also the only country to deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of other countries, under the NATO nuclear sharing agreement [2].

The Bush administration is trying to develop a new generation of "mini-nukes" (smaller nuclear weapons that could be used more easily against single targets) and "bunker-busters" (designed to burrow under ground before exploding, to destroy underground targets such as concrete bunkers). Funding for these projects has been severely limited by Congress [3].

Towards nuclear disarmament

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was signed by the United States in 1968. Article VI of the treaty obliges every country to work towards complete nuclear disarmament [4].

The treaty is essentially a bargain: those countries that have nuclear weapons agree to disarm, in exchange for the countries without nuclear weapons agreeing not to acquire them. The majority of countries around the world want nuclear disarmament, and are not trying to develop nuclear weapons.

In 1970, and every five years thereafter, there has been a Review Conference to check the progress of the treaty. At every Review Conference, the United States has pledged to work for an end to the arms race and to negotiate in good faith toward international nuclear disarmament. However, the United States is unwilling to give up the power and prestige that comes from having nuclear weapons. This hypocritical attitude is compounded by threats of military action against countries that try to develop their own nuclear weapons.

In 2000, the NPT Review Conference agreed to a series of 13 steps that could lead towards the complete ban on nuclear weapons [5]. The United States (just like the other nuclear weapon states that signed the treaty: France, Russia, UK and China) has consistently refused to take any of these steps towards a nuclear weapon free world.

The 2005 Review Conference ended in deadlock without agreeing any significant steps towards nuclear disarmament, largely due to the intransigence of the nuclear weapons states, and division on how to deal with the threats of proliferation posed by North Korea and Iran [6].

Furthermore, the Bush administration has stated that it only "generally agrees" with the results of the conference. It specifically "no longer supports some of the Article VI conclusions."

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

The United States conducted its last nuclear weapon test in 1992. Since then, it has had a moratorium on nuclear tests. However, the Bush administration shows a strong reluctance to shut down its nuclear test site in Nevada, and would prefer that the site could become fully operational within 6 months of a decision to resume nuclear testing.

Bush argued against the test ban treaty repeatedly during his election campaign, alleging that it undermined national security.

Since July 1997, the US has conducted subcritical experiments at the test site to check the safety and reliability of weapons without causing nuclear explosions.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear explosions, for military or civil purposes. Under the terms of the treaty, all forty-four countries with nuclear power plants must sign and ratify before it becomes legally binding, or "enters into force" [7].

Eleven of the forty-four have not yet ratified it (January 2006), including the US and Israel.

The treaty was rejected by the US Senate in the fall of 1999, despite public support and the backing of military figures such as Colin Powell. Bush has stated that he will not ask the Senate to reconsider the treaty.

Three countries have not even signed it: India, Pakistan and North-Korea. These countries point to the fact that the US is not honouring its Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations as a reason for refusing to sign the treaty.

Voting in UN General Assembly

The UN General Assembly votes on nuclear disarmament resolutions give a further indication of the United States attitude towards nuclear disarmament.

How members of the Conference on Disarmament voted at the 60th Session of the UN General Assembly, 2005 [8]

To compare voting of different countries, use the scroll bar to the right.

View full table...

While some countries such as Iran and Egypt supported all 12 of the nuclear disarmament resolutions which were put to a vote during the UN General Assembly in 2005 --even the "Rogue State" North Korea supported 10 of the resolutions, abstained on one, and was absent for one vote--, the United States voted to oppose 11 of the resolutions, and abstained on one. [9]

The United States also exercised its influence over its NATO allies, with many of these countries voting against nuclear disarmament resolutions, or abstaining, under pressure from the US.

More information:

Nuclear weapon stockpiles:
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty:
CTBTO
Reaching Critical Will

Basic nuclear weapons info:
For Mother Earth
Swedish Physicians against Nuclear Weapons

UN General Assembly:
Acronym Institute

Notes:

[1] The United States Army Air Force dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the mornings of August 6 and August 9, 1945 during World War II. At least 120,000 people died immediately from the two attacks combined, and many more would die in years to come from the effects of nuclear radiation. About 95% of the casualties were civilians. These bombings were the first and only nuclear attacks in world history. (Source: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 'Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki)

[2] Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey and United Kingdom.

[3] Sarah Estabrooks, 'Funding for new nuclear weapons programs eliminated', The Ploughshares Monitor, Winter 2004, Vol.25, No.4. (www.ploughshares.ca/libraries/monitor/mond04f.htm)

[4] 'Article VI: Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.'
(United Nations, text of the NPT: www.un.org/events/npt2005/npttreaty.html)

[5] Nuclear Disarmament Plan of Action: www.acronym.org.uk/npt/npt2000.htm

[6] Rebecca Johnson, 'Politics And Protection: Why The 2005 NPT Review Conference Failed', Disarmament Diplomacy, Issue No.80, Autumn 2005.
(The Acronym Institute: www.acronym.org.uk/dd/dd80/80npt.htm)

[7] Annex 2 to the Treaty lists the 44 States that must ratify the Treaty for it to enter into force: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Romania, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Viet Nam, Zaire.
(Source: CTBO, http://pws.ctbto.org/)

[8] This table has been made and published by the Disarmament Times, Winter 2006 (not yet online). Previous issues and tables are at: http://disarm.igc.org/newdtimes.htm
UN resolutions and votes documents are available on the site of Reaching Critical Will:
www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com05/res/resindex.html

[9] For Mother Earth - Friends of the Earth Flanders, 'Much Talk of Shared Danger But States Are Split on How to Respond', www.motherearth.org/nuke/unga2005.php

Last update: February 1, 2006

Haut