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A Push To Ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty? (thebulletin.org)

Posted by Soulskill on from the if-at-first-you-don't-succeed dept.

Lasrick writes: Hugh Gusterson thinks a symposium sponsored by the U.S. Energy Department was the first sign that the Administration is readying a push to finally ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). "Conceding that the earlier drive to ratify the treaty in 1999 ended in a humiliating defeat for the Clinton Administration, [Secretary of State John Kerry] said that "the factors that led some senators to oppose the treaty have changed, so [senators'] choices should change too." The article goes into the technology that has developed over the last 15 years that make testing unnecessary.

13 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. Testing is unnecessary. by sims+2 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sounds like something apple would say.

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  2. Missing credibility right now by khallow · · Score: 2

    The big problem with this "push", if it's real, is that the Obama administration doesn't have the credibility it needs to back the treaty. Nobody who didn't already want the treaty is going to believe a thing these guys say.

    1. Re:Missing credibility right now by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The fact that he's waited till a year before he leaves office shows he's not terribly serious about it. If he'd been serious, he'd have been working toward it for the last seven years. Or at least the last three years (he hasn't been eligible for reelection that long, so why not?)....

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      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    2. Re:Missing credibility right now by careysub · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Right . He has only arranged a deal to shut down the Iranian nuclear weapons program. You know, that thing that Mitt Romney called "the greatest threat that the world faces"? Nothing at all.

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      Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
    3. Re:Missing credibility right now by blue9steel · · Score: 2

      Considering that the other alternative was to begin bombing, it seems worth trying.

    4. Re:Missing credibility right now by matfud · · Score: 2

      China has signed it but like the US has not ratified it. Iran? who cares.
      India and Pakistan have not signed it.

    5. Re:Missing credibility right now by quantaman · · Score: 2

      A 'non-treaty' that has so many holes that people are already debating if Iran has already broken it. The only thing the deal does is makes sure to delay Iran getting a nuke until after Obama (and, therefore, Kerry) leaves office.

      Who is debating if Iran has already broken it? The same people who are still spinning BS about the Iranians getting 24 days to delay inspections to undeclared sites (more like 17 days), claiming that Iranians will be inspecting their own facilities or that the US has to defend Iran in a war?

      The Iran deal is a good idea, the only reasons to oppose it have nothing to do with keeping Nukes away from Iran.

      Similarly ratifying the CTBT is a good idea that makes the world safer, improves the US's reputation, and improves the US's relative military advantage. The only reason to oppose it is politics.

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  3. Am I the only one that... by manoweb · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...would like to attend a test detonation? My ultimate dream would be to witness, at a safe distance and with the proper danger mitigation procedures in place, a nuclear detonation. I mean an atmospheric one, not underground. They have done *thousands* such tests some decades ago, now that we understand these devices better, it should be much safer.

    1. Re:Am I the only one that... by sconeu · · Score: 3, Informative

      Atmospheric tests were banned by treaty in the '60s.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      And how do you plan on dealing with fallout?

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      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    2. Re:Am I the only one that... by rubycodez · · Score: 2

      The real world nuclear devices are not clean, even without counting fission primary they aren't even "fusion" weapons, but a fission-fusion positive feedback system. so half the energy comes from fission and half from fusion (again completely ignoring primary trigger)

      There are estimates of cancers and deaths from all that testing, the answer is they performed all those detonations and killed and maimed thousands. let's stop doing that, m'kay?

    3. Re:Am I the only one that... by Greyfox · · Score: 2

      I weep for the unborn generations of children who will never know the joy of taking a break from helping dad lay asbestos in the attic to enjoy a smooth cigarette and a delicious mercury smoothie.

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      I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

    4. Re:Am I the only one that... by Spinalcold · · Score: 2

      Just watched The Fantastic Mr Feynman and found it interesting that while everyone put on sunglasses for the first test, he did some quick calculations and just got behind normal glass to block the UV. He was the only person to see that first test with the true naked eye. Must have been amazing and horrifying at the same time.

  4. Re:If testing is unneceessary than what is the poi by Gavagai80 · · Score: 2

    It has already worked. Not perfectly, and it'll continue to fail in various ways, but the international pressure has prevented a lot of countries from considering it worth the risk.

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