January 8, 2007
A message from GSI President Jonathan Granoff
Dear Friends,
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Testimony before the US Congressional Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations |
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On September 26, 2006, BSG Chairman Ambassador Thomas Graham and GSI Advisory Board member Frank von Hippel and I testified at hearings at the US Congress titled, “Weapons of Mass Destruction: Current Nuclear Proliferation Challenges”. Representatives of the Department of Energy, the Department of State, the Heritage Foundation, the Government Accountability Office and others also testified. Congressman Christopher Shays (R- CT), Chairman on Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International relations, stated that the testimonies, which had begun at 1 PM and ended at 8 PM, “were some of the most substantive, interesting, demanding, and valuable in his decades in Congress.” We urge your thorough review of these substantive presentations.
A robust public debate of how to address challenges posed by nuclear weapons is imperative. We believe that the positions that our experts propounded at the hearings are coherent and effective, and stand in stark contrast to the incoherent policies that have bred instability and insecurity in our world. Below are several examples neglected by the mainstream media.
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Congratulations to 2003 Alan Cranston Peace Award recipient the Honorable Nancy Pelosi on her becoming the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, the highest official office ever held by a woman in US history. If Senator Cranston were with us physically I am sure we would share his clear eyes and glowing smile blessing this step forward.It is our hope that in the coming years, coherence, law and cooperation will be advanced to obtain heightened international security. |
During recent UN deliberations, (see First Committee Monitoring, below) the US joined the rest of the world in the condemning North Korea for testing nuclear weapons. Yet, the US alone joined North Korea in voting against a universal legally verifiable ban on nuclear testing. “Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty” vote on October 11, 2006, see: A/C.1/61/L.48/Rev.1
When a resolution was proposed to make Central Asia a nuclear weapon free zone, only three countries- the US, the UK and France- voted “no.” “Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia” vote on October 11, 2006, see: A/C.1/61/L.54/Rev.1. Lead Sponsors: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The US stood alone in voting against resolution to prevent weaponization and an arms race in space. A/C.1/61/L.10/Rev.1; Voting Result. The UN General Assembly Committee on International Security debated and voted on 55 draft resolutions dealing with weapons of mass destruction, small arms, landmines, missiles and weapons in space. Of those, the US cast the sole negative vote 12 times; in eight other votes, it was in a minority of fewer than four.
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The US, however, is certainly not in the minority with respect to supporting nonproliferation. But it, like some other states, inadequately addresses a core contradiction: nuclear weapon states want to keep their nuclear weapons indefinitely and, at the same time, condemn others who would attempt to acquire them. This contradiction drives the incoherence that is at the root of global insecurity.
To move toward stability, it is necessary to establish policy guidelines that advance cooperative security based on the rule of law. Commitments to advance nonproliferation and disarmament are part of that infrastructure for international peace. Nuclear disarmament is a compass point that gives coherence to proposals that reduce threats, advance nonproliferation, diminish no country’s security and strengthen the rule of law.
There are a series of moderate steps which could immediately make us safer:
- Entry into force of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT);
- Negotiating to completion a Fissile Materials Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) with verification;
- De-alerting the major nuclear arsenals; and
- Making reductions in deployments between Russian and the US irreversible and verifiable
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Drafting session, Nobel Peace Summit, including Lech Welsea, Frederik Willem de Klerk and Mairead Corrigan Maguire |
These are policies with nearly universal consensus. Their realization requires increased political will at the highest levels of state, particularly those states which are already supportive. It is our hope that civil society and the governments of the world will push vigorously in the coming year and bring these threat-reducing steps into practice. Inspiration in this regard can be found in the Rome Declaration, a powerful statement from the recent Nobel Summit.
The GSI team, through its programs the Middle Powers Initiative (MPI), the Bipartisan Security Group (BSG), and the Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament (PNND) brings coherent, practical proposals to forums that matter. For example, MPI is helping to bring over twenty countries to work together on strengthening the NPT through the Article VI Forum. BSG is working effectively with Congressional offices to help advance hearings in the US Congress. PNND is expanding the network of over 500 concerned Members of Parliaments in over 70 countries. GSI leadership regularly works with world leaders like Nobel Peace Laureates and Laureate organizations such as the International Peace Bureau. In these ways, we consistently work to bring clarity and purpose through viable policies which can bring hope where there was only fear, purpose where there was confusion, and security where there was instability.
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High-level delegation to Ottawa: |
Under the leadership of Chairman Douglas Roche, O.C., the effectiveness and scope of the Middle Powers Initiative has been extraordinary. We urge your attention to the MPI website, as well as Senator Roche’s own website, https://www.douglasroche.ca/. I also urge you to review the project reports of the Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament, which, under Alyn Ware’s leadership, has grown extensively in the past year.
I hope the following report on some of the highlights of GSI’s recent activities is useful and inspiring. More information on GSI’s activities, including links to briefing papers, publications, speeches and other reports, can be found in recent newsletters. We are well aware of the responsibility of our mission. We pray for increased strength, intelligence and wisdom. We join with the hearts of so many around the world: May peace prevail on earth!
Sincerely,
Jonathan Granoff,
President
CONTENTS
(Click to jump to each section)
- MPI Convenes Third Meeting of the Article VI Forum, Ottawa, Canada
- BSG Offers Congressional Hearing Testimony, Washington, DC
- PNND Update
- World Summit of Nobel Laureates, Rome, Italy
Global Security Institute (GSI) Events
- Panel Discussion, “United Nations and Security,” United Nations, New York, NY
- Clinton Global Initiative, New York, NY
- Dropping Knowledge, Berlin, Germany
Middle Powers Initiative (MPI) Events
- Panel Discussion at UN, New York, NY
- First Committee Monitoring
- High-level delegation to Canada, Ottawa
September 28-29, 2006 – Ottawa, Canada – Third Meeting of the Article VI Forum
Continuing to provide much of the intellectual clarity and strategic focus of our work, MPI convened the third meeting of the Article VI Forum in Ottawa, Canada, September 28-29, 2006, entitled, “Responding to the Challenges to the NPT.” Representatives from twenty-five states met in the Canadian capital, where the informal setting allowed diplomats, experts and NGOs to discuss ways to strengthen the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime through the NPT.
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From right to left: Jonathan Granoff, Under Secretary-General Nobuaki Tanaka, Netherlands Ambassador Landman, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter Mackay, MPI Chairman Douglas Roche, and Macha Mackay
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The Ottawa consultation centered on the premise that the next Review Conference in 2010 of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the central instrument that is supposed to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons, not repeat the failure of the 2005 Review.
A central focus for the consultation was five technical issues, identified at earlier consultations of the Article VI Forum, which are key to any progress in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation: the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT); the Fissile Materials Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT); de-alerting and reduction of US/Russian nuclear dangers; negative security assurances; and verification. Diplomatic and academic experts gave their views on each of these five issues, both the technical dimensions of the issue and the political potential of moving these issues forward in the disarmament and non-proliferation fields.
>> Interim Report
>> Briefing Paper
>> Photo Gallery
The final report of the Ottawa consultation will be available on the MPI website in the coming weeks.
The fourth meeting of the Article VI Forum, entitled, “Forging a New Consensus for the NPT,” will take place March 29-30, in Vienna, Austria, one month before the first Preparatory Committee meeting for the NPT Review Conference 2010.
September 26, 2006 – Washington, DC – Congressional Hearing Testimony
Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr., Chair of the Bipartisan Security Group, along with Dr. Hans Blix, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, Henry Sokoloski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, Dr. Frank von Hippel of the International Panel on Fissile Materials, Mr. Granoff and others, testified at a Congressional Hearing entitled, “Weapons of Mass Destruction: Current Nuclear Proliferation Challenges.” The hearing was convened by the House of Representatives Government Reform Committee, Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.
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Dr. Blix, Congressman Shays and Mr. Granoff
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The Subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT). Dr. Hans Blix, who led the UN efforts that successfully disarmed Iraq, along with several other experts including Henry Sokolski, Dr. Frank von Hippel, Advisory Board member of GSI, and leading representatives of the Administration, also testified.
>> Subcommittee Official Report
>> Testimony by Dr. Blix
>> Testimony by Amb. Graham
>> Testimony by Mr. Granoff
A webcast of the hearing is forthcoming.
Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament (PNND) Events
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Nagasaki Mayor Iccoh Itoh with New Zealand Minister for Disarmament Phil Goff, Dr. Kate Dewes of The Peace Foundation of Aotearoa/New Zealand and New Zealand ambassador to Japan, John McArthur
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Here you can find a comprehensive update from PNND, which includes invitations to endorse parliamentary letters on North Korea and nuclear testing and the India-US nuclear technology deal, an invitation to endorse the International Appeal on the Operational Status of Nuclear Weapons and many more recent activities from PNND.
November 17-19, 2006 – Rome, Italy- Nobel Laureates Summit
GSI President Jonathan Granoff, representing the International Peace Bureau, attended the Seventh World Summit of Nobel Laureates and Laureate Organizations in Rome, Italy. This Summit, like the six before it, was organized by the Gorbachev Foundation and the Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni.
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The Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., speaking at the Nobel Laureates Summit
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With the focus of this year’s summit on nuclear weapons disarmament and nonproliferation, the Laureates issued
“The Rome Declaration,” a very strong, clear statement on the need for nuclear disarmament. The Australian Parliament unanimously passed a resolution in which the Rome Declaration is referenced. This resolution furthers the commitment to advance to a more secure world.
This Summit marked the fourth consecutive year that members of the Global Security Institute (GSI) participated in the events. As a representative of the International Peace Bureau, Mr. Granoff provided opening remarks, chaired the closing press conference, and worked extensively on the drafting of the Summit’s documents.
Hon. Douglas Roche, Chair of the Middle Powers Initiative, representing the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and Amb. Jayantha Dhanapala, representative of the WMD Commission, also addressed the Summit.
>> Download the Rome Declaration
>> Jonathan Granoff’s presentation
>> Hon Douglas. Roche’s presentation
>> Jayantha Dhanapala’s presentation
>> Charter for a Non-Violent World
>> Read the Australian Parliament’s unanimous resolution
A full report of the conference will be forthcoming on our website.
Relevant links:
>> Nobel Laureate Organization Secretariat website
>> International Peace Bureau website
>> Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission website
Global Security Institute (GSI) Events
October 11, 2006 – United Nations, NY – Panel Discussion, “United Nations and Security”
GSI hosted a panel discussion at the UN on October 11, 2006, entitled, “United Nations and Security”. The purpose of the panel was to bring experts and practitioners in the fields of development, human rights, gender equity, disarmament, and the rule of law together legislators and representatives from UN member countries to discuss the core agenda of the UN and advance conceptions of an integrated security agenda.
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Left to right: Hannelore Hoppe, Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., Paul Kennedy, Jonathan Granoff, James Speth, Cora Weiss
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The hearing was held in Conference Room 8 of the United Nations, and was moderated by Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute.
Panelists included Paul Kennedy, Professor of History at Yale University and author of The Parliament of Man: The United Nations and the Quest for World Government, James Gustave Speth, Dean of Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and former Administrator of the United Nations Development Program, Cora Weiss, President of the Hague Appeal for Peace, and Douglas Roche, O.C., Chairman of the Middle Powers Initiative, former Canadian Senator, and Ambassador for Disarmament. Opening remarks were delivered by Hannelore Hoppe, Director of the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs.
September 20-22, 2006 – New York, NY – Clinton Global Initiative
Mr. Granoff participated in a conference of the Clinton Global Initiative, a project of former US President Bill Clinton, which promotes a global agenda focusing on poverty alleviation, mitigating religious and ethnic conflict, global health and energy and climate change.
At the working group addressing religious and ethnic issues, Mr. Granoff shared a proposal to create a Nonviolent Conflict Prevention Center, a project that Mr. Granoff has been working on advancing for many years.
September 9, 2006 – Berlin, Germany – Dropping Knowledge
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Mr. Granoff had the honor to join approximately 100 other extraordinary people in Berlin, Germany, in a historical event entitled, “Dropping Knowledge.” This forum, participatory of 112 participants from all over the world, was part of Dropping Knowledge’s ongoing global discussion on 100 of the most challenging questions facing humanity. Participants included film director Wim Wenders, Actor Willem Dafoe, GSI Board Advisor Hafsat Abiola, Professor Cornell West, human rights activists Harry Wu and Biannca Jagger, and internet computer experts Bill Joy and John Gage. Representatives of the World Wisdom Council, of which Mr. Granoff is a member, also participated.
Middle Powers Initiative (MPI) Events
October 12, 2006 – United Nations, NY – Panel discussion, “Revitalizing Nuclear Disarmament Norms”
MPI convened a panel discussion at the United Nations on October 12, 2006, entitled, “Revitalizing Nuclear Disarmament Norms: The Role of Middle Powers.” Panelists included Dr. Randy Rydell of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Alfredo Labbe of Chile, Peter Weiss, President of the Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy and Jennifer Nordstrom, Project Associate of Reaching Critical Will.
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MPI Chairman Douglas Roche, O.C. and |
The Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., the Chairman of the Middle Powers Initiative, opened the session stating that “disarmament norms” are based in certain principles encapsulated in what is written in a treaty as well as the treaty’s intent. While the people in the people listening to the panel would know what is meant by “disarmament norms,” the general public might react with puzzled looks. He added, “Yet, instinctively, they know what disarmament norms are even as powerful voices in society would like the world to think there are no such things.” This, he noted, shows the strength of human decency.
October, 2006 – United Nations, NY – MPI reporting in The First Committee Monitor
MPI Program Director Jim Wurst and Project Associate Neal Sandin participated in the NGO Working Group on the First Committee, which publishes a weekly newsletter, The First Committee Monitor, reporting on the debates, draft resolutions and voting patterns in the General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security.
The First Committee is one of six committees that comprise the entire General Assembly. Sometimes regarded as a sort of global opinion poll on the most crucial matters facing humanity, the First Committee meets every year in October for a 4-5 weeks session, to debate and vote ofn dozens of resolutions affecting global security. All 192 member states of the UN can attend.
June 12-13, 2006 – Ottawa, Canada – High-level delegation sent to Canadian capital 
Led by Rt. Hon, Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada and GSI Advisory Board member, MPI successfully sent its fifth high-level delegation to the government of Canada since 1998. The delegation also included MPI Chairman Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., Bipartisan Security Group Chairman Ambassador Thomas Graham, and Global Security Institute President Jonathan Granoff. This was the second time Prime Minister Campbell led an MPI delegation to Ottawa.
Members of the delegation were received by the Prime Minister, the Deputy Foreign Minister, the National Defence Minister and were presented a MPI Briefing Paper prepared especially for the government of Canada. In addition, the delegation formally testified before the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
>> Read the event report
>> Formal Testimony to House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee
>> Photo Gallery
GSI and program staff and board members have been featured in the media several times in recent months.
- MPI Chairman Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C. wrote, “Sleepwalking Towards Nuclear Catastrophe,” an Op-Ed published in Embassy Magazine, October 4, 2006.
- The MPI Chairman was also featured in The National Catholic Register.
- A complete listing of Roche’s published works can be found here and clicking on Writings.
- BSG Chairman Amb. Thomas Graham was interviewed for PierreTerre on December 5.
- GSI President Jonathan Granoff was featured on The World Today, a program of the BBC World Service, on October 18, 2006.
- On October 9, Justice Talking, a program of NPR, interviewed Mr. Granoff on their show entitled, “Nuclear Disarmament: An Impossible Dream?”
- Tavis Smiley interviewed Mr. Granoff on his NPR show on September 27. The show, which focused on WMDs and Non-Proliferation, also featured Henry Sokolski, the Executive Director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center.
In addition, Mr. Granoff published the following articles:
- “The Forgotten Why” in Humanitad World Leadership Quarterly, Volume 1. Humanitad Press 2006. 98-102.
- “National Security.” International Lawyer. Summer 2006. Volume 40. No. 2.
- “Congress Should Reject US-India Nuclear Deal,” Santa Barbara Press, April 30, 2006.
>> Radio Interviews available here
>> Check out more video resources
>> Read more about GSI experts in the news
New York Office Opening Reception
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Under-Secretary-General Tanaka addressing the opening of the NY office
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On October 11th, the Global Security hosted a reception to launch the official opening of its New York office. A capacity crowd of over 200 people attended the open house at the new GSI offices in New York.
Located just three blocks from the United Nations, the office is the New York home for GSI and the headquarters for the Middle Powers Initiative. UN Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs, Nobuaki Tanaka, was the guest of honor. We hosted UN-based diplomats, UN staff and a broad cross-section of New York-based NGOs and civic leaders. It is our intention to begin a series of formal and informal sessions and seminars in our large and magnificently appointed conference room. We are sharing the space with the Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy and Global Action to Prevent War.
GSI Welcomes New Team Members
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Rhianna Tyson joined the GSI team as the new Program Officer in their New York office. Before coming to GSI, Rhianna was the Project Manager of the Reaching Critical Will project of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, United Nations Office, where she coordinated civil society efforts at disarmament fora of the United Nations. Her writings have been published in Disarmament Forum, the quarterly publication of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), The IAEA Bulletin, the flagship publication of the International Atomic Energy Agency and others. Previously, Rhianna was an intern with the Arms Control Association in Washington, D.C., and with the Society for International Development in Rome. Rhianna holds an MSc with distinction in Global Politics from the London School of Economics, and a B.A. in Gender and International Relations from Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts.
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Adam Nester is the Assistant to the President of the Global Security Institute. Adam holds an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, and a B.S. in Psychology from Saint Joseph’s University. Adam has previously worked as a Program Officer for the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy and a researcher for the 2006 George Mason University Stakeholder Survey of the International Criminal Court. Adam has given presentations at American University and George Mason University on international justice mechanisms, victims, reconciliation and trauma healing issues in connection with his prior work.
Sally Lilienthal (1919-2006) Memorial
Sally Lilienthal, a leading light for disarmament, peace and justice, passed away on October 24, 2006. As the founder of the Ploughshares Fund and through the strength of her character as an individual, Sally was a powerful force for more than 30 years. She was a close friend of GSI Founder Senator Alan Cranston.
She was born Sally Ann Lowengart born in Portland, Oregon, in 1919. She moved with her family to San Francisco when she was 12. Sally graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1940. During World War II, Sally worked in the Office of War Information. A sculptor, she collected art and served on the San Francisco Arts Commission and on the board of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art during the 1960s and 70s.
Sally founded the Ploughshares Fund in October 1981. “The possibility of a nuclear war was the very worst problem in the world,” she told The San Francisco Chronicle, “I thought that if a lot of people felt the same way I did but didn’t know what to do about it, we might get together and search for new ways to get rid of the nuclear weapons that were threatening us all.” The Fund is now one of the largest foundations in the world dedicated to nuclear disarmament, having given out nearly $50 million since its inception. Besides the Ploughshares Fund, Sally worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Amnesty International.
Sally is survived by her five children, two step-daughters and 11 grandchildren. Her husband, Philip Lilienthal, died in 1984.
May God’s Blessing of Eternal Peace and Perfection Embrace
Sally Lilienthal
Sally Lilienthal lived an exemplary life. Dedication, not just to the sentiment of peace, but to its actualization expresses her legacy. For some, aspiration is sufficient. For Sally, realization was required. But, not only did she strive for peace but over many years through extremely hard work, she created institutional situations wherein others could join in this service and therein lies the great example. She pursued a method that let her express the heart’s greatest longing, to express our intrinsic humanity, and sought ways to enable others to also realize their highest calling.
Way before others even thought of the global threats we face, she was organizing to address the dilemmas. Way before others realized the need for collective action, she was organizing to fund collective action. Way before others realized the integration of issues, she was identifying principled themes.
Not only did she criticize the failure of pursuing peace by pursuing war, but she advanced numerous programs that actually work.
When her close friend Senator Alan Cranston passed many of us pondered how we could honor his legacy, and let there be no doubt, honoring the legacy of wise and good elders is a weighty responsibility. We learned, as others before us have learned, that a perfect way of keeping their presence close is to follow their example.
May the mystery that creates us and to which we return, inadequately described by any human tongue, bless us with the courage, wisdom and spirit to pursue and realize peace for and amongst ourselves, inside ourselves, and from that beautiful place in the heart, to act with political effectiveness to make that peace realized in the world. That was Sally Lilienthal’s example for many of us and yet, in our mourning, we know she was so much more.
For those for whom she was a mentor, a friend, an elder, a sister, a guide, an inspiration, may God provide comfort and continued guidance and the sure knowledge that amongst those who are blessed in eternal perfection and bliss, therein, amongst the good ones, one will find Sally Lilienthal. May God bless her fully forever.
–by Jonathan Granoff, President, Global Security Institute
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