Speaker
Description
Despite not signing the CTBT, Islamabad actively contributed to negotiations that led to the Treaty’s finalization at the Conference on Disarmament, and considers CTBT as the “primary mechanism for ending nuclear weapons testing.” However, outreach efforts face headwinds due to Islamabad’s heightened skepticism of India, its nuclear-armed neighbor, and what it sees as New Delhi’s limited headway on a proposed mutual non-testing arrangement. These developments continue to be perceived as obstacles to Pakistan’s signing of the CTBT, which insists on reciprocity from India, making it imperative to evolve CTBT outreach in a way that helps manage some of those expectations. This presentation takes Southeast Asia as a case in point to argue how CTBT outreach efforts can become more localized and effective in Pakistan’s strategic community. It draws lessons from several Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states, which reached a consensus on CTBT ratification despite some divergence on nuclear escalation and nonproliferation risks. The presentation will illuminate specific local nonproliferation and advocacy partnerships that made such a consensus possible, their favorable impact on ASEAN’s CTBT stance, and how these can be tailored to the benefit of CTBT outreach in Pakistan.
Promotional text
What constitutes effective CTBT outreach in Pakistan? How can Southeast Asia's experience drive treaty advocacy forward in Pakistan?
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| Oral preference format | in-person |
