Toward a U.S.-U.K.-French Consensus on Nuclear Nonproliferation

This CSIS just released the final product of its U.S.-U.K.-France Trilateral Dialogues on Nuclear Issues.  The final statement comes from a group of high-level "Track 2" participants who were assembled to discuss nuclear issues and identify areas of consensus between the three countries.  The CSIS, led by CEO and President John Hamre, Senior Adviser Clark Murdock, and Non-Resident Senior Adviser Franklin Miller and with support from Fellow Jenifer Mackby and Research Assistant Chris Jones, hosted three meetings to develop and sharpen the statement. 

The final statement, entitled "Trilateral Nuclear Dialogues: Toward a Common P3 Approach on Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Energy Use, Disarmament and Material Security," focuses on the shared assumptions and objectives, common policy agenda, and specific initiatives and tactics that the three countries should focus upon over the next few years including at the May 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.

In addition to outlining a number of specific initiatives the three countries should support, one of the key takeaways from the statement is the importance of priorities. The four main priorities identified are: 1) Strengthening the non-proliferation regime; 2) Pursuing disarmament; 3) Providing for the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and 4) Rapidly secure global nuclear inventories.  And, according to the statement, focusing on these priorities will be critical to success:

8. The policy agenda for strengthening the non-proliferation regime is quite broad and includes many important initiatives, such as the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), gaining universal adherence to non-proliferation norms, P5 security assurances, Nuclear Weapon-Free Zones, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 and stronger export controls.  However, the undersigned believe that the P3 should focus a unified effort on selected, critically important nuclear challenges and opportunities, because significant success on a limited number of issue areas is more important than marginal success on a broader set of issues.  Moreover, P3 success on a select set of policies and initiatives will expand over time to include other issue areas, as the success achieved through collaboration and cooperation in one area creates momentum in others.

The full statement is available to view or download on the CSIS website.

Twenty-three highly respected nuclear experts signed the final statement:

U.S.:  Barry M. Blechman, Distinguished Fellow Henry L. Stimson Center, Linton Brooks, Former Administrator National Nuclear Security Administration, John J. Hamre, President and CEO Center for Strategic and International Studies, Jenifer Mackby, Fellow Center for Strategic and International Studies, Franklin Miller, Former Senior White House and Department of Defense Official, Clark Murdock, Senior Adviser Center for Strategic and International Studies, Robert Nurick, Independent Consultant, George Perkovich, Vice President for Studies and Director of the Nuclear Policy Program Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, James Tegnelia, Former Director Defense Threat Reduction Agency

U.K.:  Desmond Bowen, Former Policy Director Ministry of Defence, Malcolm Chalmers, Professorial Fellow Royal United Services Institute London, David Jarvis CBE, Former Chief Strategic Systems Executive Ministry of Defence, Tim Hare, Defence Consultant and Former Director Nuclear Policy Ministry of Defence, Sir Richard Mottram GCB, Former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Sir David Omand GCB, Visiting Professor Department of War Studies King's College London, Sir Keith O’Nions FRS, Director Institute for Security Science and Technology Imperial College London, Sir Kevin Tebbit KCB CMG, Visiting Professor Queen Mary London University

France:  Christophe Carle, Visiting Scholar Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), Olivier Debouzy, Founder and Senior Partner August & Debouzy and Former Diplomatic Advisor (Military Affairs) French Atomic Energy Commission, Thérèse Delpech, Senior Research Fellow Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales Paris, Camille Grand, Director Fondation pour la recherche stratégique Paris, Bruno Racine, Chairman Fondation pour la recherche stratégique Paris, Bruno Tertrais, Senior Research Fellow Fondation pour la recherche stratégique Paris