Is It Time to Ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty?
By Thomas Haine On the heels of North Korea’s nuclear test last month, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, formerly the South Korean foreign minister, renewed the call Monday for the United States to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). President Obama has promised to support such a drive in the Senate. Yet the CTBT would be a mistake not only for our national security but also for a strong and reliable system of international law. A Short History of Test Ban Treaties and the CTBT The “nuclear club” has nine members: the US, the UK, Russia, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and most likely Israel. South Africa had nuclear weapons but was the only country to voluntarily dismantle its arsenal in 1990. Since then, there have been fewer and fewer “critical” nuclear tests (those involving a nuclear reaction): Russia stopped such tests in 1990, the UK in 1991, the US in 1992, and France and China in 1996. India and Pakistan both last tested in 1998. The most recent criti
