La théorie et la pratique de l’Arms Control : Bilan et perspectives

Arms control, as developed by American civilian strategists in the late 1950s, sought to maintain the equilibrium upon which mutual deterrence was dependent, and strove to prevent direct conflict between the two nuclear protagonists. Has it exhausted its virtuality and will there be a return to the tradition of general and total disarmament? One comes to ask within the framework of this analysis, whether the Washington treaty of december 1987 introduces a new element to arms control, or whether it closely follows the methods used in former agreements. In an effort to better comprehend this question, the past experiences in arms control will be examined before making any conjectures on its anticipated evolution, all the while taking into consideration the new approaches used in the American-Soviet relations, the problems created by technological innovation, and the intentions of both the small and medium States

2019 CHA Elections Results / Résultats de l’élection 2019 de la SHC

Again this year, CHA members could choose from a list of well-qualified candidates for the elections. The CHA is proud to introduce its newest Council and Nominating Committee members as well as its student representative.Encore une fois cette année, les membres de la SHC ont pu choisir parmi une liste de candidats très compétents pour l’élection. La SHC est heureuse de présenter ses plus récents membres du conseil d’administration et du comité de mises en candidature ainsi que sa représentante étudiante

L’intérêt d’un fonds international de désarmement pour le développement (Note)

By passing the usual debate on the UNESCO "crisis", this paper analyses the ideological contradictions found in the Constitutive Act of the Organisation, and goes on to examine, using the model of small group psychology, the functioning of its main institutions, particularly that of the General Conference, by focusing on the disparity between its mandate and the role which it fulfils in effect. The purpose of the rites which preside over the debates at the General Conference and the Executive Council is questioned, specially as regards the origin and nature of the rhetoric which flourishes at those levels. Finally, the author examines the institutional, political and psychological constraints which have a negative influence on the effectiveness of the Secretariat and which also contribute to the drift of the Organisation

Regretterions-nous vraiment le Traité sur la non-prolifération des armes nucléaires ?

Le Traité sur la non-prolifération des armes nucléaires (tnp) connaît une crise profonde. Mais regretterions-nous vraiment sa disparition ? Même sans ce traité, il demeure improbable qu’une multitude de pays se dotent d’armes atomiques. De plus, son effondrement signifierait la fin du désarmement nucléaire. Mais l’absence du tnp se ferait tout de même sentir : il serait plus difficile, voire impossible d’établir des coalitions internationales contre d’éventuelles nouvelles puissances nucléaires ; la transparence et la confiance disparaîtraient à un moment où de plus en plus de pays semblent s’intéresser à l’utilisation pacifique de la technologie atomique ; l’idée même de coopération entre États pour mettre en place des mesures de restriction d’accès aux armes et aux technologies les plus destructrices à des fins militaires serait oblitérée.The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (npt) is in deep crisis. But would we really miss the npt? Even without the npt, a nuclear avalanche with ever more countries going nuclear would be unlikely. A collapse of the npt would also not mean the end of nuclear disarmament. But we would still miss the npt: International coalition building against potential nuclear proliferators would become much harder if not impossible; transparency and confidence building would be lost just at a time when ever more countries become interested in the civilian use of nuclear technology; the idea of cooperating between nations to organize restraint in terms of access to the most destructive weapons and technologies for military purposes would go astray

Entre l’utopie et la diplomatie : Les « contre-décisions »

How are cultural changes put forward by so-called 'Utopias' accepted by political elites and then implemented through political decisions or international treaties ? This historical process has often been dealt with via two separate disciplines : sociology and political science. In this article, the author has chosen to use the new paradigm of global politics, i.e., the "issue paradigm", as his general framework of analysis. This article comprises two parts. First a theory of political change - culturally induced. Four concepts of change and progress are examined (Saint-Pierre, Kant, Condorcet and Bentham). This leads the author to the formulation of a new concept: " counter-decision", which can be defined as "a minor concession pulled through socially organized utopian movements from still reluctant political elites, at the very time when History is shaken by some kind of crisis such as war". The total process consists of four successive stages which are: intellectual maturation, socialisation, counter-decision, and new policy which is the final stage of political change culturally induced. The second part of the article gives a historical illustration of this four stages process, examples of which are the European unification, arbitration, collective security, disarmament, arms control, law of war and humanitarian law. These empirical illustrations reveal that Saint-Pierre, Kant, Condorcet and Bentham were all correct in their respective interpretation of progress. It also means that, in politics, cultural progress is at one and the same time rationally thought, reached through a dialectical process, cumulative or determinist in some aspects, if equally debated, and thus voluntarist