6.6 'Treaty Obligations: How to Verify?'

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From the course by Saint Petersburg State University

Russia and Nuclear Arms Control

18 оценки

Saint Petersburg State University

Russia and Nuclear Arms Control

18 оценки

As a state with one of the largest arsenals of nuclear weapons Russia is a key participant of nuclear non-proliferation regime and defines nuclear arms control as a priority of its foreign policy. This course will discover the logic and the frames of Russian nuclear arms control policies. You will learn the historical background and the modern context of bilateral US-Russian relations in nuclear arms control and understand how these relations influence the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. You will get the basic tools for analyzing Russian defence and security policy in regards to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Upon the completion this course the students will… ...be able to - analyze the actions of a state from the point of view of the present treaties on nuclear arms control; - come up with their own opinion on the problem commented by the arms control experts; - make arguments supporting their position in discussions of nuclear arms control. ...get to know - the technical, political and strategic aspects of agreements on nuclear arms control; - the content of arms control treaties in which Russia participates; - the trustworthy informational resources dedicated to the problem of nuclear arms control. ...be familiar with - the special terminology in the area of arms control; - the modern state and the perspectives of international policy regarding nuclear arms control; - the basics of Russia’s nuclear arms control policy.

From the lesson

Russia - U.S. Nuclear Arms Control Regime

6.1 'The Notion of a Regime'6:13

6.2 'Efficiencey, Sufficiency, and Sustainability. Part 1'10:08

6.3 'Efficiencey, Sufficiency, and Sustainability. Part 2'15:15

6.4 'Nuclear Weapons: How Many are Enough?'12:22

6.5 'Nuclear Weapons: How to Calculate?'8:13

6.6 'Treaty Obligations: How to Verify?'7:28

Meet the Instructors

Anastasia A. Malygina
Assistant Professor
Department of Theory and History of International Relations
Andrey Y. Pavlov
Professor
Department of Theory and History of International Relations

The main condition of sustainability of a nuclear arms control regime is the rule that

every participant of the regime is sure

that all other participants of the regime fulfill the obligations.

A certain level of trust is absolutely necessary to make regime sustainable.

It can be based on a reciprocity.

For example, the principle I comply with the rules until you comply with

the rules was the main source of sustainability of SALT II regime.

As you remember, SALT II,

the treaty on Strategic Arms Limitation didn't enter into force but

the Soviet Union and the United States for

some period decided to comply with the rules of this treaty,

established by the treaty.

But, of course, to make sure that your partner comply with

the obligations of the rules established by an agreement you need to verify that somehow.

Usually, in nuclear arms control treaty as well as in some other arms control treaties,

the participants have a right to

verify the compliance of the opposite side or other sites.

But there is a problem,

a nuclear sphere is a very sensitive fused.

It is a sphere of a very important national secrets.

How to establish a balance between transparency and

state secrets and how to provide for a certain level of mutual trust?

This is quite difficult.

So, to do that,

it is necessary to answer two questions.

What to be verified and how we should verify that?

There were several options or

several mechanisms of verification and we cannot discuss all of them.

Next week, there will be a case study which will give more detailed information

on one certain type of verification system.

But some general rules we can understand now.

So let us try to understand what can be verified.

When countries signed a treaty on arms reduction to certain level,

usually it takes some time to reduce the number of weapons to this established level,

and sometimes it requires a long period to reach that certain level.

Liquidation of weapons, it's a expensive and long process.

For example, when SALT II was signed,

Russia did not fortified for a long time.

And in 1997, it was necessary to make

certain adaptation of the treaty and the period of liquidations of weapons was prolonged.

Both countries inform each other on the existing levels of

weapons and the tempo of reductions of these weapons.

First of all, these information have to be verified.

There were some other concrete obligations in various arms control agreements and each,

this type of information,

each this type of obligation was to be verified.

And the methods of verification differ from case to case.

If according to an agreement a country have to

destroy some of its weapons that have to be verified.

The opposite side have to be sure that the destroyed weapon

will never be restored and returns to active service.

For example, in the treaty on intermediate nuclear forces,

for each system a certain specific system

of certain rule of liquidations was established.

For example, for the Soviets SS-12 Missiles,

I quote, "Missile shall be

eliminated by explosive detonation or by burning missile stages.

Solid fuel, rocket nozzles and

motor cases not destroyed in the process shall be burned, crushed,

flattened or destroyed by explosion, and front section,

minus nuclear warhead device and instrumentation compartment,

minus guidance elements, shall be crushed,

flattened or destroyed by explosive demolition together with a missile".

That was a rule just for one type of missiles,

and there were other rules for every type of Soviet and American missiles.

And, it was also written in the treaty, I quote,

"The parties shall have the right to conduct

on-site inspections to confirm the completion of the elimination procedures.

This is the first thing they wanted to verify.

One of the most effective instrument of verification is a system of inspections.

Inspections may be conducted by each side on the territory of the opposite side,

and inspections are designed to verify the compliance

of the opposite sides with the obligations on the treaty.

Next week, we will use example of SALT I and SALT II

treaties to understand how the system of inspections can function.

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