Strategic Assessment

Statements by the Obama administration that it hopes to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), together with discussion of the CTBT at the NPT Review Conference this past May, invite a reexamination of Israel’s stance on the treaty, its considerations regarding ratification, and its interests vis-א-vis the treaty. The obstacles to Israel’s ratification of the CTBT are significant, and the developments of the past year are not sufficient reason to detract from their importance. This article analyzes Israel’s main considerations on ratification of the treaty; the validity of those concerns; whether these concerns have materialized; and if there are other important political or strategic considerations that justify further examination.