September 25, 2006

Dear Friends:

Amb. Thomas Graham

The Global Security Institute (GSI) and The International Law Section of the American Bar Association are pleased to announce that the Co-Chairs of the ABA's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nuclear Nonproliferation – Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr. and Jonathan Granoff – will be testifying at a Congressional Hearing entitled Weapons of Mass Destruction: Current Nuclear Proliferation Challenges. Mr. Granoff is President of GSI and Ambassador Graham is Chairman of the Bipartisan Security Group. Please see http://www.gsinstitute.org for further information.

The hearing is being convened by the House of Representatives Government Reform Committee, Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations and will take place on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 at 1:00 PM in Room 2247 of the Rayburn Building, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT).

Dr. Hans Blix, Congressman Chris Shays, and Mr. Jonathan Granoff

Dr. Hans Blix, who led the UN efforts that successfully disarmed Iraq, along with several other experts including Henry Sokolski, Dr. Frank von Hippel, and leading representatives of the Administration will also be testifying. Dr. Blix currently chairs the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, which recently released its landmark report titled Weapons of Terror: Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms.

Questions to be addressed at the hearing include:

• What steps should be taken to strengthen compliance under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty?
• Why has the Treaty failed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons?
• Why do some countries lack confidence in the nonproliferation regime?
• How do unilateral versus multilateral approaches to global security affect the prospects for the abolition of nuclear weapons?
• To what extent have nonproliferation sanctions affected the policies of rogue regimes?
• What stricter international controls over fissile material should be implemented to keep the material out of the hands of terrorists?
• Why has the international community failed to adopt "no first use" policies?
• What steps should be taken to strengthen nuclear material and technology export controls?
• How successful are cooperative threat reduction programs in stemming proliferation of nuclear materials?

It is likely to be a provocative and substantive hearing.

The event is open to the public. No RSVP is required.

If you have any questions regarding the event call +1.610.668.5488 or email general@gsinstitute.org.