Update on Comprehensive Test Ban, & More from CRS
The Congressional Research Service has prepared an updated account of the status of the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty (CTBT), which would prohibit explosive testing of nuclear weapons.
“As of August 2016, 183 states had signed the CTBT and 164, including Russia, had ratified it. However, entry into force requires ratification by 44 states specified in the treaty, of which 41 had signed the treaty and 36 had ratified.” The U.S. has not ratified it.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on the CTBT tomorrow, September 7.
See Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Background and Current Developments, September 1, 2016.
Other new and updated products from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Climate Change: Frequently Asked Questions about the 2015 Paris Agreement, September 1, 2016
U.S. Textile Manufacturing and the Proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, September 1, 2016
Comparing DHS Component Funding, FY2017: Fact Sheet, September 2, 2016
OPM Announces Premium Increase in the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program, CRS Insight, September 1, 2016
The European Union’s Small Business Act: A Different Approach, September 1, 2016
Zika Response Funding: Request and Congressional Action, updated September 1, 2016
In recent months, we’ve seen much of these decades’ worth of progress erased. Contracts for evaluations of government programs were canceled, FFRDCs have been forced to lay off staff, and federal advisory committees have been disbanded.
This report outlines a framework relying on “Cooperative Technical Means” for effective arms control verification based on remote sensing, avoiding on-site inspections but maintaining a level of transparency that allows for immediate detection of changes in nuclear posture or a significant build-up above agreed limits.
At a recent workshop, we explored the nature of trust in specific government functions, the risk and implications of breaking trust in those systems, and how we’d known we were getting close to specific trust breaking points.
tudents in the 21st century need strong critical thinking skills like reasoning, questioning, and problem-solving, before they can meaningfully engage with more advanced domains like digital, data, or AI literacy.