CTBT Full Form
What is the full form of CTBT?
The full form of CTBT is the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. It is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996. The objective of this treaty is to ban nuclear weapons test explosions and any other kind of nuclear explosions. The treaty intends to end nuclear weapon testing and development for both civilian and military purposes, and in all environments. India too has always demanded a nuclear weapons-free world. But some principled, procedural, political, and security issues have made it difficult for India to support the CTBT. In 1954, India championed the cause of a nuclear test ban. In 1993 as well, India was among the co-sponsored to call for a test ban treaty. However, in 1996, India refrained from signing the treaty due to fear of military threats from neighboring countries and concerns about the treaty containing discriminatory articles.
History and Timeline of the Development of CTBT
International control of nuclear weapons was first suggested in 1945 by Canada and the United Kingdom.
The Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) was signed on 5 August 1963 due to rising concerns about the resulting ecological and biological ill effects of underwater and atmospheric nuclear tests
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1954, issued the first appeal for a "standstill agreement" on testing. This appeal was soon echoed by the British Labor Party and others.
Finally, in January 1994, the negotiations for CTBT began at the Conference on Disarmament.
CTBT was then adopted On 10 September 1996 by more than a two-thirds majority.
Though the treaty has been welcomed by all nations, it is yet to come into effect, as eight specific nations including India have not ratified the treaty.
When Does an International Treaty Come Into Effect
An international treaty comes into effect only once all the members sign and ratifies the treaty. The process and effects of signing and ratifying a treat are very different.
Signing a treaty is just one of the steps in the process to express the intent to comply with it. it is not the final step. Once the representative has signed an international treaty, it has to be brought back to the home nation and get approved by the parliamentary body. Once approved by the parliament and signed by the authorities, we say that the treaty is now ratified. Once a treaty is ratified, it is officially valid and legally binding on that country to comply with the principles of the ratified treaty.
As for the CTBT treaty, out of 186 signatories, only 176 states have ratified the CTBT. China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, and the United States have signed but not ratified the Treaty while India, North Korea, and Pakistan have not signed it yet.
Structure of the CTBT
The CTBT itself describes its Protocol in three parts:
International Monitoring System (IMS)
On-Site Inspections (OSI) and
Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs).
Two more Annexes were made to the Protocol
Annex 1 gives details of various Treaty monitoring assets associated with the IMS and
Annex 2 gives details about the parameters for screening events.
India's Position on CTBT
In 1998, India conducted successful nuclear tests. While India has always promoted the idea of International peace, it has refused to sign the treaty so far. India has always voiced the need for a nuclear ban treaty that is not discriminatory and guarantees that the permanent members of the council do not misuse their powers. Another reason why India couldn't have signed the treaty was neighbors like Pakistan and China that were unwilling to give up their nuclear weapons. If India had signed and ratifies the treaty without China and Pakistan agreeing to do the same, it would have created nuclear threats for India.
How CTBT Monitoring is Done
Geophysical technologies and similar high-tech equipment are used to monitor any nuclear activity and compliance with CTBT
Some of the technologies and methods used for this are :
Radionuclide monitoring
Infrasound
Hydro acoustics
Forensic seismology
In Radionuclide monitoring, the radioactive particulates or noble gases are monitored which are generally a product of nuclear explosions. There are 80 stations located all over the world to detect and measure radiations emitted by Radioactive particles.
Infrasound monitoring checks the changes in atmospheric pressure constantly. Nuclear explosions can cause a sudden change in atmospheric pressure. These 41 stations across the world for Infrasound monitoring.
Hydro acoustic monitoring is used for monitoring underwater nuclear explosions. It consists of a system of 11 stations that employ hydrophone triads to detect underwater explosions.
Seismic monitoring detects and measures the seismic activity of the ground. A nuclear explosion can cause an artificial earthquake. Measuring seismic activity can help in detecting nuclear explosions. It is done using a system of 50 primary stations located around the globe, with 120 auxiliary stations in signatory states.
Why Hasn't India Signed and Ratified CTBT Yet?
India faced uncertain dangers from Pakistan, and China, which had conducted nuclear tests even while the CTBT was being negotiated. This was because of the fear of nuclear collusion between China and Pakistan. Apart from this, India believes that some of the articles of CTBT are discriminatory hence India has not yet signed or ratified CTBT yet.
Conclusion
CTBT is of great importance for the future of the world. it is necessary for all nations to with the obligations posed by CTBT and help in safeguarding the future of the planet. The Arms race going on between the developed and developing countries is one of the biggest challenges against the CTBT. While every country claims to be against nuclear weapons and wants international peace, the fear of threats and national security keeps inspiring some countries to develop strong and independent nuclear weapons. This in turn inspires its neighbors to run the same race. Many countries including India have criticized the theory for being non-uniform and discriminatory. But hopefully, with each small step, one at a time, the world is gradually moving towards a safer and more secure future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The CTBT was adopted by the UN on November 19th, 1996.
The treaty will come into effect 180 days after the 44 states that participated in the CTBT's negotiations between 1994 and 1996 and possessed nuclear power reactors or research reactors at that time sign and ratify the treaty.
As of September 2022, 176 countries have ratified the CTBT and another 10 countries have signed it but have not ratified it yet.
Three countries have tested nuclear weapons since the CTBT was adopted in 1996. India and Pakistan both carried out two sets of tests in 1998 while North Korea carried out six announced tests.
North Korea has conducted 6 tests till now. The last it conducted in 2017.