The CTBT - a Treaty with two faces

Ola Dahlman: OD Science Application, Fredrikshovsgatan 8, 11523 Stockholm

The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, CTBT will soon celebrate its tenth anniversary, it is now signed by 176 States but is still a long way from entering into force. The treaty has, created a valuable norm of non-testing among the signatory States. The global verification system, the most extensive ever created, with more than 300 observing stations in some 90 countries, is rapidly approaching the final stage of implementation. To build such a technically complex system on a global scale and in a political environment is a real challenge and it is also a significant confidence building measure. The treaty organization and its Secretariat in Vienna are faced with two future challenges. The first is political: What to do when you have a verification system that is ready for operation and you do not have treaty in force? The second is scientific and technical: How can you connect to the scientific world and recapitalize knowledge to prevent the system and the organization from being obsolete? The talk will describe the current status of the verification technologies and will give a review of the current political barriers.