A line from Hindu scripture quoted by the scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer upon witnessing the fury of the first nuclear explosion.
On July 16, 1945, the first nuclear explosion occurred at 5:29 a.m. on the barren, desert sands of New Mexico. The explosion was the equivalent of 19,000 tons of TNT.
Efforts to ban nuclear testing became a primary objective of arms control efforts in the 1950s. The first treaty to impose restrictions on nuclear testing was signed on August 5, 1963. The Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water was signed by over 100 countries. A second treaty designed to prohibit underground nuclear weapon tests exceeding 150 kilotons was signed on July 3, 1974. The Threshold Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States and the Soviet Union. Despite these efforts, it would take over 50 years from the first nuclear explosion before a more comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty was signed.
On January 25, 1994, negotiations began in the Conference on Disarmament for a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. On September 10, 1996, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly. However, three countries, India, Bhutan and Libya, voted against the treaty. Pakistan indicated that it would not sign the treaty unless India agreed to sign it. The treaty was subsequently signed on September 24, 1996 by over 50 countries, including China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The treaty will enter into force 180 days after the date of deposit of the instruments of ratification by all countries that have nuclear power or nuclear research reactors. However, the treaty cannot enter into force earlier than two years after its opening for signature.
According to the preamble of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the "States Parties" recognize that the cessation of all nuclear test explosions constrains the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons. It also contributes to the protection of the environment. Above all, the parties indicated that their ultimate goal is the elimination of all nuclear weapons.
The basic obligations under the treaty are set forth in Article 1. "Each State Party undertakes not to carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion, and to prohibit and prevent any such nuclear explosion at any place under its jurisdiction or control." Furthermore, each state party undertakes "to refrain from causing, encouraging, or in any way participating in the carrying out of any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion."
The treaty establishes an "Organization," whose obligations are to achieve the object and purpose of the treaty, to ensure the implementation of its provisions and to provide a forum for consultation and cooperation among states parties. It also sets forth a verification regime to ensure compliance with the treaty. Specifically, it establishes four mechanisms to promote verification of the obligations in the treaty: (a) an International Monitoring System; (b) consultation and clarification procedures; (c) on-site inspections; and (d) confidence-building measures.
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is of unlimited duration. However, each state party has the right to withdraw from the treaty if it decides that extraordinary events relating to the subject matter of the treaty have jeopardized its supreme interests. Withdrawal requires giving six months notice in advance to other states parties, the organization, the Secretary-General and the UN Security Council.
Since 1945, there have been 2,045 nuclear explosions on the earth. It is ironic that mankind has felt obligated to test such powerful instruments of destruction, causing widespread environmental damage and perpetuating the existence of these weapons of mass destruction. With the conclusion of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, it is hoped that mankind is one step closer to eliminating such weapons from the arsenals of all states.
