Revitalizing the Arms Control Reporter

The purpose of this project is to revitalize and transform a vital information resource into a vehicle for producing pioneering cross-cutting analytical perspectives on arms control and for affecting policy outcomes at all levels. Toward this end we are re-launching the Reporter as an independent and self-sustaining project, convened by the Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy, the Reaching Critical Will project of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and Global Action to Prevent War.
At the time of the Reporter’s inception, publicly available information on topics covered was not easily accessible. As more and more documents and information flood the public domain, the purpose of the Reporter has shifted to summarizing and analyzing this vast array of technical and political developments, in order to provide concise, comprehensive, and accurate coverage. Through an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach that enhances the scope and capacity of existing projects – in particular the monitoring services provided by Reaching Critical Will – we intend to produce a responsive and affordable product that fills persistent knowledge gaps in the pursuit of global collective and human security.

Objectives. The first phase of the project is to re-launch a revitalized and self-sustaining Reporter in a bound (book) format to provide accurate and up-to-date research and information to a broader spectrum of interested professionals and advocates. The second phase is to increase its journalistic and analytical capacity, by expanding coverage and by contracting and producing pieces for publication that make horizontal, multidisciplinary, and cross-cutting connections to arms control issues in a way not presently done by most mainstream arms control think-tanks and projects. Beyond research, we intend to utilize the Arms Control Reporter and its research capacity as a vehicle for supporting targeted policy-oriented projects aimed at affecting disarmament-related outcomes.

Audience. The Reporter originally was designed to guide and inform the arms control professional, working as a diplomat, researcher, journalist, or advocate. In the past it has been often used by those who need to know the details of an arms control negotiation, such as students and other concerned citizens, who use it at universities or public libraries. Subscribers have included major institutions and organizations, university peace and law programs, and various government entities including foreign and defense ministries. We are seeking to modify the core mission of the Reporter, originally accessible primarily to those at select major institutions, to provide accurate and up-to-date research and information to a much broader spectrum of interested professionals and advocates, for whom timely access to information could play a crucial role in the pursuit of arms control and disarmament efforts at all levels.