Balancing Act - Upholding the Legitimacy of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime
| Date | Tuesday, March 24, 2009 |
| Time | 3:30pm-5:00pm |
| Location | The Henry L. Stimson Center 1111 19th Street NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20036 |
The Stimson Center hosted a public panel discussion on "Balancing Act - Upholding the Legitimacy of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime, Maintaining the Credibility of the Deterrence in the US-Japan Alliance", featuring Brian Finlay, Senior Associate, Stimson Center, and Nobumasa Akiyama, Assistant Professor, Hitotsubashi University. The panel was moderated by Yuki Tatsumi, Senior Associate, East Asia Program at the Stimson Center.
The panel discussion took place at the conclusion of an all-day workshop on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 3:30pm-5:00pm at the Stimson Center, located 1111 19th Street NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20036.
Toward a Nuclear Free World:
US-Japan Dialogue among the Next Generation on Nuclear Disarmament and Nonproliferation
The panel discussion "Balancing Act - Upholding the Legitimacy of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime, Maintaining the Credibility of the Deterrence in the US-Japan Alliance" was set against the backdrop of the renewed enthusiasm in the Obama administration for the nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). The foreign policy goals of the United States and Japan in the area of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation show an unprecedented degree of convergence. However, the past policy dialogue has not been very successful. The discussion at the Henry L. Stimson Center focused on the opportunities and challenges of the US-Japan nonproliferation dialogue.
In the beginning of the discussion Brian Finlay, Senior Associate at the Stimson Center and the co-director of the Cooperative Nonproliferation Program, outlined the past and present of the US nonproliferation policy. He indicated that very little progress has been made in the past 16 years, despite the presence of some successful small-scale initiatives of WMD reduction. He drew numerous parallels between the current policy of the Obama administration and the policies of the onset of the Clinton presidency, indicating that not only issues, opportunities, and challenges remain the same, but some of the policy-makers on the Obama team worked in the Clinton administration. He was thus concerned that the policies of the Obama administration would remain the same, and similarly to the past nonproliferation efforts would be insufficient to produce meaningful results. Mr. Finlay further pointed out two characteristics of American public; not only it relies excessively on nuclear security, it also remains deeply divided over the issue. The multitude of opinions in the constituencies makes the nonproliferation issue excessively partisan and thus it is difficult to reach any meaningful consensus. Mr. Finlay concluded that while the Obama administration had expressed eagerness in handling the issue, partisan politics will certainly interfere with the agenda.
The discussion continued as Nobumasa Akiyama, Assistant Professor at Hitotsubashi University, presented his views on the nuclear nonproliferation question within the framework of the US-Japan security alliance. He pointed out two major Japanese concerns over the effort of reduction of US nuclear arms. First, Japan is concerned about China's reaction to the efforts. If the United States would decrease its nuclear arms arsenal what would be the impact on the regional nuclear regime? The main apprehension of the Japanese government is whether the strategic stability can be maintained with the smaller number of American nuclear weapons. Moreover, Japan needs a more accurate perception of the Chinese nuclear arms arsenal, and, if a US-Russian treaty on nuclear arms control were signed, Japan would like to have a role.
The second major concern for the Japanese is a nuclear North Korea. Japan would like to see the nuclear threat eliminated as soon as possible, and Dr. Akiyama pointed out that from the Japanese point of view the American policy-makers have not demonstrated determination to eliminate the North Korean threat as soon as possible. Mr. Akiyama also indicated that just as American politics will influence American policies, Japanese political reality will influence Japanese policies. It is unclear whether the policy would change if a tranfer of power were to happen after the elections. The lack of political leadership in Japan could frustrate their US interlocutors. Nobumasa Akiyama concluded that for any global weapons regime to be successful, nuclear countries other than the United States and Russia should have a sense of ownership over the process of nuclear weapons reduction.
For further information, please email Yuki Tatsumi (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)).