Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in effect

On March 21, the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty formally entered into force.  Kazakhstan, which once possessed the world's fourth-largest nuclear stockpile, signed the pact along with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. William Potter of the Ploughshares-funded James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute applauded the treaty:  "Attainment of the CANWFZ comes at a propitious moment for nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, and at a time when the nonproliferation regime is under severe strain." The Central Asian zone joins three other active NWFZs.