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Archive for the ‘treaties’ category: Page 3

Jan 26, 2022

Building technological tools for nuclear disarmament

Posted by in categories: geopolitics, nuclear weapons, physics, treaties

Associate Professor Areg Danagoulian credits mentorship with helping him establish a path through nuclear physics.

Mentorship has played a central role in the twists and turns of Associate Professor Areg Danagoulian’s life.

“Verification of nuclear disarmament is very important, because a treaty without verification is worse than no treaty at all,” Danagoulian says, citing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty that was proposed in the 1950s but not fully adopted until 1996, in part because scientists lacked the technology to reliably differentiate underground testing from seismic events. has played a central role in the twists and turns of Associate Professor Areg Danagoulian’s life.

Jan 5, 2022

Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races

Posted by in categories: existential risks, geopolitics, military, nuclear weapons, treaties

The People’s Republic of China, the French Republic, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America consider the avoidance of war between Nuclear-Weapon States and the reduction of strategic risks as our foremost responsibilities.

We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. As nuclear use would have far-reaching consequences, we also affirm that nuclear weapons—for as long as they continue to exist—should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war. We believe strongly that the further spread of such weapons must be prevented.

We reaffirm the importance of addressing nuclear threats and emphasize the importance of preserving and complying with our bilateral and multilateral non-proliferation, disarmament, and arms control agreements and commitments. We remain committed to our Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations, including our Article VI obligation “to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.”

Dec 31, 2021

China complains of near-collisions with SpaceX satellites

Posted by in categories: geopolitics, satellites, treaties

All parties to Outer Space Treaty must remember pledge to act responsibly, China tells UN secretary general in diplomatic note.

Dec 22, 2021

UN talks adjourn without deal to regulate ‘killer robots’

Posted by in categories: drones, geopolitics, governance, robotics/AI, treaties

In Machinia, Damon learns that the robot uprising was the result of the weapons of war simply refusing to wage war. In the article that follows, the UN is already very concerned about autonomous weapons being deployed that do not require human governance. #war, #UN


GENEVA — Countries taking part in UN talks on autonomous weapons stopped short of launching negotiations on an international treaty to govern their use, instead agreeing merely to continue discussions.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and several NGOs had been pushing for negotiators to begin work on an international treaty that would establish legally-binding new rules on the machine-operated weapons.

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Dec 18, 2021

A global model for tackling space sustainability and safety

Posted by in categories: business, geopolitics, military, satellites, sustainability, treaties

For more than 50 years, near space has been viewed as a vast resource to exploit with few limits. In reality, near space is a very scarce resource. While international agreements such as the Outer Space Treaty and the Registration Convention take steps to protect this precious resource, no single global body is responsible for ensuring the long-term sustainability and safety of near space.

The current surge in the exploitation of outer space means that this lack of a global framework for space sustainability must be addressed immediately, or it will be too late; near space will be cluttered and unrecoverable. We are seeing increased use of near space for tourism and other business ventures and the deployment of megaconstellations comprising tens to hundreds of thousands of satellites. And this is just the start. Last month, we witnessed a Russian anti-satellite test that left portions of near space cluttered with orbital debris. Failure to implement a global framework with an enforcement mechanism for space sustainability could severely impact the ability to fully utilize the resource in the near future.

Today near space activities are subject to disparate space sustainability requirements, generally reliant on the requirements of the object’s launching state or conditions imposed by countries in which entities have market access. Some countries have developed well-crafted requirements for at least some space objects, but others have not. In addition, except for the items covered in existing treaties, like launching state liability, there is almost no harmonization on requirements, which further jeopardizes space sustainability.

Oct 30, 2021

‘Yeah, we’re spooked’: AI starting to have big real-world impact, says expert

Posted by in categories: geopolitics, military, robotics/AI, treaties

A scientist who wrote a leading textbook on artificial intelligence has said experts are “spooked” by their own success in the field, comparing the advance of AI to the development of the atom bomb.

Prof Stuart Russell, the founder of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence at the University of California, Berkeley, said most experts believed that machines more intelligent than humans would be developed this century, and he called for international treaties to regulate the development of the technology.

Oct 22, 2021

China Tested A Fractional Orbital Bombardment System That Uses A Hypersonic Glide Vehicle: Report

Posted by in categories: geopolitics, military, space, treaties

That layer would be absolutely essential in trying to defend against a FOBS, that is if a defense at all is actually feasible or even strategically sound. We are not talking about a rogue state here with a few advanced ballistic missiles. China would be able to deploy dozens or even hundreds of these at once. At a certain point, kinetic defenses against such a capability become a losing proposition and a very costly one at that.

Still, this was an early test aboard a full-on rocket used for traditional space access missions. It will take China some time to perfect such a system and package it in a quickly deployable militarized configuration. Major thermal and ablative issues also must be overcome, among others, but it’s not like China hasn’t been working diligently in the hypersonic boost-glide vehicle realm for many years.

Regardless, if this report ends up being fully accurate, one thing is likely: New calls for hugely expensive missile defense capabilities will be ringing loud and often on Capitol Hill, as well as demands to do whatever possible to bring China to the bargaining table in hopes of obtaining some type of strategic arms limitation treaty.

Jun 26, 2021

Russia and China are racing to beat NASA back to the Moon

Posted by in categories: geopolitics, space travel, treaties

A new space race is now underway.


In both cases, the language is an attempt to call forth the spirit of the Outer Space Treaty. However, as many critics have stated, the Artemis Accords suffer from the fact that they are tied to a specific space agency and program. This was certainly the basis of Rogozin and Russia’s resistance when the Accords were first announced, hence why Russia and China have come together to do the same.

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May 26, 2021

How to Avoid a Cosmic Catastrophe

Posted by in categories: geopolitics, space travel, treaties

An interstellar treaty with other advanced civilizations could stave off death by domain wall.

Apr 17, 2021

U.S. Army Announced New Drone Swarm Would Be A Weapon Of Mass Destruction

Posted by in categories: drones, geopolitics, treaties

‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ is a term used in arms-control circles signifying something capable of damage on a large scale and subject to international treaties. Analyst Zak Kallenborn argues in a recent study for the U.S. Air Force Center for Strategic Deterrence Studies that some types of drone swarm would count as WMD. The argument might seem like the theoretical arms control equivalent of angels dancing on the head of a pin — except that the U.S. Army is working on a lethal swarm which fits Kallenborn’s description. Watch the video for more: https://youtu.be/KLmmPnMvwNY

The massive THANKS YOU to everyone for watching and all of your support!

Continue reading “U.S. Army Announced New Drone Swarm Would Be A Weapon Of Mass Destruction” »

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