Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control
Encyclopedia
The Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control is a non-profit, non-partisan organization established to curb the proliferation of nuclear
and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) through research and advocacy. Led by Emeritus Professor Gary Milhollin
, the group aims to stem weapons proliferation
at the source through its emphasis on the monitoring and control of export and other trade transactions. Established in 1986 in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, the Wisconsin Project is located in Washington, DC.
Key initiatives of the organization include the Risk Report database and the Iran Watch and Iraq Watch websites. The Wisconsin Project receives financial support from the U.S. government and private foundations.
. Professor Milhollin testifies regularly at U.S. congressional hearings
, where he advocates for more effective export controls and non-proliferation policies. He is the author of numerous newspaper and magazine opinion pieces.
Professor Milhollin holds degrees in engineering and law and has taught courses on nuclear arms proliferation at Princeton University
as well as at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has been a consultant on nuclear arms proliferation to the United States Department of Defense
and was an Administrative Law Judge at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
for over a decade. He has also practiced international corporate law in New York
and Paris
.
The Wisconsin Project also tracks WMD proliferation through its two watchdog web sites, Iraq Watch and Iran Watch. Created in 2002, Iraq Watch detailed key Iraq
i entities involved in weapons proliferation, listed their foreign suppliers, and provided access to documents describing Iraq’s past WMD-related activities
. The site was last updated in August 2006. Iran Watch, launched in September 2004, follows the format of its successful predecessor, listing suspect Iran
ian organizations and sites and their foreign suppliers. The site also provides original analyses and external resources relating to Iran’s WMD capabilities. Valerie Lincy is the editor and principal investigator for Iran Watch.
, because of a secret export of heavy water
to Israel
, had the right to inspect Israel's nuclear program
. The revelation forced Israel to return half of the nuclear material to Norway and forced Norway to abandon its dangerous nuclear export business.
The Project’s activism in the early 1990s drew attention to the proliferation threat posed by Iraq. In a series of publications, the Project argued that nuclear inspections in Iraq would fail unless they became more aggressive. The Project also argued for better export controls by exposing past sales of sensitive equipment by western firms to Iraqi builders of nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, and long-range missiles.
In 1998, the U.S. government used data from the Wisconsin Project to restrict U.S. trade with 63 organizations involved in the nuclear and missile programs of India
and Pakistan
, following those countries’ nuclear tests.
In 2000, the Wisconsin Project launched a public-private initiative to improve export controls in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
. The program was expanded in 2002 in cooperation with the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the Customs Service. To date, nearly 800 export control officials have been trained in some 30 countries around the world.
In 2005, Professor Milhollin testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission that weaknesses in U.S. sanctions
law were allowing companies helping to spread weapons of mass destruction to go unpunished. The Project’s research was the basis for a November 2005 Senate bill that would have eliminated these loopholes and increased the severity of sanctions against companies that continued to proliferate to Iran.
In 2007, the Project supplied information on Iranian organizations linked to nuclear and missile work that contributed to decisions by the United Nations
, the United States and the European Union
to freeze the assets of several of these organizations. The Project also exposed the inadequacies of U.S. sanctions enforcement against Iran at the time.
In 2008, the Project published a report revealing that the U.S. Commerce Department was cutting controls on the sale of militarily useful American products to China
. After the report was published, the Commerce Department suspended and then reduced its effort to cut the controls.
In 2009, the Project helped the New York County District Attorney’s Office investigate sales from China to Iran of nuclear- and missile-usable technology that passed through New York banks. The Project testified on the commodities and firms involved before a grand jury in New York City that subsequently indicted the Chinese company that was making the sales.
In 2010, the Project published a report featured in the Wall Street Journal that described how Iran’s national shipping company, blacklisted by the United States along with 123 of its vessels, was evading U.S. sanctions by giving its ships new names, new managers, and new “owners.” Following the Project’s report, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted many of the ships' new names, along with their new owners and managers.
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) through research and advocacy. Led by Emeritus Professor Gary Milhollin
Gary Milhollin
Gary Milhollin is the founder and executive director of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, a non-profit organization dedicated to stemming the spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Milhollin and the Wisconsin Project are best known for digging up the details of...
, the group aims to stem weapons proliferation
Nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the...
at the source through its emphasis on the monitoring and control of export and other trade transactions. Established in 1986 in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, the Wisconsin Project is located in Washington, DC.
Key initiatives of the organization include the Risk Report database and the Iran Watch and Iraq Watch websites. The Wisconsin Project receives financial support from the U.S. government and private foundations.
Leadership
The director of the Wisconsin Project is Gary Milhollin, Emeritus Professor of the University of Wisconsin Law SchoolUniversity of Wisconsin Law School
The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional school for the study of law at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. The law school was founded in 1868.-Facilities:...
. Professor Milhollin testifies regularly at U.S. congressional hearings
Congressional hearing
Congressional hearings are the principal formal method by which committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Whether confirmation hearings — a procedure unique to the Senate — legislative, oversight, investigative, or a combination of these, all...
, where he advocates for more effective export controls and non-proliferation policies. He is the author of numerous newspaper and magazine opinion pieces.
Professor Milhollin holds degrees in engineering and law and has taught courses on nuclear arms proliferation at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
as well as at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has been a consultant on nuclear arms proliferation to the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
and was an Administrative Law Judge at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
for over a decade. He has also practiced international corporate law in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Products
In 1995, the Wisconsin Project began publication of The Risk Report, which is now a subscription database used by governments and private companies to screen business transactions and verify the legitimacy of foreign buyers. Drawing from unclassified sources, The Risk Report contains up-to-date information on sensitive products and technologies, export regulations, and organizations and individuals linked to WMD proliferation. Matthew Godsey is editor of the Risk Report.The Wisconsin Project also tracks WMD proliferation through its two watchdog web sites, Iraq Watch and Iran Watch. Created in 2002, Iraq Watch detailed key Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i entities involved in weapons proliferation, listed their foreign suppliers, and provided access to documents describing Iraq’s past WMD-related activities
Iraq and weapons of mass destruction
During the regime of Saddam Hussein, the nation of Iraq used, possessed, and made efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction . Hussein was internationally known for his use of chemical weapons in the 1980s against Iranian and Kurdish civilians during and after the Iran–Iraq War...
. The site was last updated in August 2006. Iran Watch, launched in September 2004, follows the format of its successful predecessor, listing suspect Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian organizations and sites and their foreign suppliers. The site also provides original analyses and external resources relating to Iran’s WMD capabilities. Valerie Lincy is the editor and principal investigator for Iran Watch.
Achievements
In 1986, the Wisconsin Project revealed that NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, because of a secret export of heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, had the right to inspect Israel's nuclear program
Nuclear weapons and Israel
Israel is widely believed to be the sixth country in the world to have developed nuclear weapons and to be one of four nuclear-armed countries not recognized as a Nuclear Weapons State by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , the others being India, Pakistan and North Korea...
. The revelation forced Israel to return half of the nuclear material to Norway and forced Norway to abandon its dangerous nuclear export business.
The Project’s activism in the early 1990s drew attention to the proliferation threat posed by Iraq. In a series of publications, the Project argued that nuclear inspections in Iraq would fail unless they became more aggressive. The Project also argued for better export controls by exposing past sales of sensitive equipment by western firms to Iraqi builders of nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, and long-range missiles.
In 1998, the U.S. government used data from the Wisconsin Project to restrict U.S. trade with 63 organizations involved in the nuclear and missile programs of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, following those countries’ nuclear tests.
In 2000, the Wisconsin Project launched a public-private initiative to improve export controls in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. The program was expanded in 2002 in cooperation with the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the Customs Service. To date, nearly 800 export control officials have been trained in some 30 countries around the world.
In 2005, Professor Milhollin testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission that weaknesses in U.S. sanctions
Economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...
law were allowing companies helping to spread weapons of mass destruction to go unpunished. The Project’s research was the basis for a November 2005 Senate bill that would have eliminated these loopholes and increased the severity of sanctions against companies that continued to proliferate to Iran.
In 2007, the Project supplied information on Iranian organizations linked to nuclear and missile work that contributed to decisions by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, the United States and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
to freeze the assets of several of these organizations. The Project also exposed the inadequacies of U.S. sanctions enforcement against Iran at the time.
In 2008, the Project published a report revealing that the U.S. Commerce Department was cutting controls on the sale of militarily useful American products to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. After the report was published, the Commerce Department suspended and then reduced its effort to cut the controls.
In 2009, the Project helped the New York County District Attorney’s Office investigate sales from China to Iran of nuclear- and missile-usable technology that passed through New York banks. The Project testified on the commodities and firms involved before a grand jury in New York City that subsequently indicted the Chinese company that was making the sales.
In 2010, the Project published a report featured in the Wall Street Journal that described how Iran’s national shipping company, blacklisted by the United States along with 123 of its vessels, was evading U.S. sanctions by giving its ships new names, new managers, and new “owners.” Following the Project’s report, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted many of the ships' new names, along with their new owners and managers.
External links
- Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control website
- IranWatch - http://www.iranwatch.org
- IraqWatch - http://www.iraqwatch.org