Trust & Verify

Trust & Verify is VERTIC's flagship publication, going back to 1989. The newsletter provides analysis and news of verification and implementation developments, as well as information on VERTIC’s activities. Trust & Verify is published electronically on this website. It can also be received free of charge via email on request. To receive Trust & Verify by email, please enter your email address in the subscription request box on this page. We also welcome submissions to Trust & Verify; these should be sent to Larry MacFaul.

Issue no. 140, January-March 2013

In this issue, Hassan Elbahtimy and David Keir discuss seismic and infrasound detections of the recent North Korean nuclear test and Russian meteor strike. Plus: Verification Watch, Science & Technology Scan, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News.

Issue no. 139, October-December 2012

Issue no. 138, July-September 2012

Issue no. 137, April-June 2012

In this issue Tamara Patton looks at using 3D modeling for Verification Design and Sonia Drobysz examines safeguards following the NPT PrepCom. Plus: Verification Watch, Science & Technology Scan, Verification Quotes, Programme News, and reflections by the director. 

This issue is now also available in epub and Kindle mobi format (beta versions).

Issue no. 136, January-March 2012

Issue no. 135, October-December 2011

Issue no. 134, July-September 2011

In this issue Sonia Drobysz looks at recent changes in the IAEA safeguards system, while Rocio Escauriaza Leal writes on the challenges and opportunities associated with efforts to secure universal acceptance of the Biological Weapons Convention. Plus, Verification Watch, Science & Technology Scan, Verification Quotes, Programme News and reflections by the Executive Director.

Issue no. 133, April-June 2011

In this issue Nicholas Sims looks ahead to the Seventh Review Conference of BWC states parties in December, while Mikael Shirazi and Andreas Persbo discuss the importance of the IAEA’s Additional Protocol in preventing the clandestine development of uranium enrichment facilities. Plus, Verification Watch, Verification Quotes and a special Science & Technology Scan with a travel report on the CTBT’s 2011 Science & Technology Conference by Kristiane Roe Hammer.

Issue no. 132, January-March 2011

In this issue Achala Chandani Abeysinghe reviews progress in the climate negotiations while John Carlson discusses the Additional Protocol. Plus Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, programme news and verification quotes.

Issue no. 131, October-December 2010

Scott Spence discusses the role of legislation in preventing and responding to chemical terrorism, while Andreas Persbo looks at the potential for arms control confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan. Plus, a VERTIC statement delivered by Scott Spence on the challenges of regulating biosecurity and, as usual: Verification Watch, Science & Technology Scan, Verification Quotes, staff news and reflections by the Executive Director.

Issue no. 130, July-September 2010

Hartwig Spitzer returns to deliver an update on the progress of open-skies implementation, Justin Alger discusses the safeguards and non-proliferation implications of the nuclear revival. Also verification watch, verification quotes, science and technology scan, Centre news and events as well as a note from the Executive Director.

Issue no. 129, April-June 2010

Hugh Chalmers assesses the state of climate change verification after Copenhagen while David Cliff looks back at the 2010 NPT Review Conference. Also verification watch, verification quotes, science and technology scan, staff news and a note from the Executive Director.

Issue no. 128, January-March 2010

David Cliff raises issues for consideration in the 2010 NPT Review Conference, Angela Woodward discusses biological and chemical terrorism and Joy Hyvarinen looks beyond the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. Plus Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 127, October-December 2009

Bharath Gopalaswarmy discusses infrasound technology while Jasper Pandza sheds light on how one can use Landsat 7 images and Photoshop with remarkable results.

Issue no. 126, July-September 2009

Hassan ElBahtimy discusses verified nuclear disarmament, Richard Guthrie writes about the 2009 BWC Meeting of Experts and Andreas Persbo writes about requirements for a verified ban on fissile material production for weapons purposes.

Issue no. 125, April-June 2009

Andreas Persbo recalls discussions with Iranians, while Sir Hugh Beach ponders the state of the nuclear safeguards regime. Plus Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 124, March-October 2007

Volker Beck examines the status of reporting and reviewing under UN Security Council Resolution 1540, while Daryl Kimball assesses the prospects for US ratification of the CTBT. Plus a detailed look at the challenges facing CITES, as well as the regular features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 123, March 2006-March 2007

Jan Lodding and Bernardo Ribeiro examine the international nuclear safeguards regime, while Oliver Dambock assesses reporting under multilateral environmental agreements. VERTIC turned 20 in 2006, and fittingly, we were busier than ever furthering the cause of verification-speaking at seminars and workshops around the world, redesigning the website and, as always, publishing articles, chapters and reports in our own products and those of our non-governmental and international organization colleagues. This issue provides a summary of what we did, what we published, who joined or left the centre, who supported our work with grants and commissions, and what the media asked us over the course of the past year. Finally, there are the regular features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, VERTIC News and Events and Verification Quotes.

Issue no. 122, October 2005-February 2006

John Carlson examines the role that bilateral nuclear safeguards can play in providing non-proliferation assurance, while Matt Peterson reviews the work of the Aceh Monitoring Mission and explores the EU's latest approach to monitoring peace agreements. Plus Verification Watch and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 121, July-September 2005

Sean West examines some of the challenges to CTBT entry into force, while
Yana Feldman and Beth Nikitin explore Saudi Arabia’s Small Quantities Protocol. Plus Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 120, May-June 2005

Andreas Persbo assesses the North Korean nuclear problem, while Duncan Brack examines the European Union (EU)’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 119, March–April 2005

Andreas Persbo looks towards the 2005 NPT Review Conference, while Oliver Meier examines the use of test ban monitoring data by tsunami warning organizations. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 118, January–February 2005

Samir Puri examines international election observation in Ukraine, while Larry MacFaul looks at progress made at COP10 and future climate change challenges. Plus Verification Watch, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 117, November–December 2004

David Young looks at a new way of independently monitoring forestry activities, while Erik Asplund considers the compromise deal on the application of nuclear safeguards in Brazil. Plus Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events. A special feature, Election Monitor, replaces Peace Missions Monitor in this issue.

Issue no. 116, September–October 2004

Daryl Kimball examines the prospects for the negotiation of a fissile material cut-off treaty, while Angela Woodward looks at the UN Secretary-General’s mechanism for investigating alleged use of chemical and biological weapons. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 115, July–August 2004

Kristie Barrow assesses attempts to deal with the RDD threat, while Jessica McLaughlin examines nuclear verification technology research in the US. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 114, May–June 2004

Jessica McLaughlin analyzes arrangements for protecting the confidentiality of verification information, while Kristie Barrow looks at peace monitoring in Northern Ireland. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 113, March–April 2004

Kavita Rajagopalan looks at the lack of monitoring and verification in the India–Pakistan conflict, while Larry MacFaul examines European unity in regard to action on climate change. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 112, January–February 2004

Jack Boureston, Yana Feldman and Charles Mahaffey assess Libya’s WMD capabilities and related verification challenges, while Ben Mines examines developments regarding the Iraq Survey Group. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 111, November–December 2003

Larry MacFaul examines the climate change reporting system, while Jennifer Kinzeler assesses peace monitoring in Liberia. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 110, September–October 2003

Angela Woodward examines the legislation that states parties to the Biological Weapons Convention must adopt in order to meet their fundamental treaty
obligations, while Trevor Findlay and Peter Gudritz assess monitoring challenges in Africa. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 109, July–August 2003

Jean Pascal Zanders introduces the BioWeapons Prevention Project and highlights its objectives, while Ben Mines examines developments in the hunt for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 108, May–June 2003

Trevor Findlay and Ben Mines assess the situation regarding Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction, while Molly Anderson looks at the problem of quantifying sustainable development. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 107, March–April 2003

Ben Mines looks at the successes of both the IAEA and UNMOVIC in Iraq since November 2002, while Kenneth Boutin uses the Iraqi case to highlight the factors that can hinder the effectiveness of verification. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 106, January–February 2003

Kenneth Boutin assesses the nuclear crisis in North Korea and its consequences for the global nonproliferation regime, while Alex Wood analyses UNMOVIC’s potential for success in Iraq. Plus a review of the Yearbook on International Co-operation on Environment and Development 2002/2003 and all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 105, November–December 2002

Trevor Findlay analyses the challenges facing the UN inspection mission in Iraq, while Kenneth Boutin assesses methods of verifying technology transfer controls. Plus all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 104, September–October 2002

Kristina Hinds assesses monitoring in the Congo, John Hart offers a timely book review on Iraq’s nuclear and biological weapons agenda, while Molly Anderson and Vanessa Chagas reflect on the Johannesburg summit. Plus Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 103, July–August 2002

Nikolai Sokov analyses the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, while Alexandra González-Calatayud reviews Earth Summit 2002: A New Deal, edited by Felix Dodds. Plus all of the usual features: Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 102, May–June 2002

Trevor Findlay assesses the turmoil surrounding the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, while Vanessa Chagas examines the Agenda 21 monitoring mechanism. In addition, all of the usual features: Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 101, March–April 2002

Tom Milne examines global spending on nuclear disarmament verification work, while Mirak Raheem assesses the challenges facing the Temporary International Presence in Hebron. In addition, all of the usual features: Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 100, January–February 2002

The first edition of Trust & Verify was published in June 1989 by the then Verification Technology Information Centre. VERTIC, just three years old, was headed by Patricia Lewis and was based in Southampton Street, London. The founding editor of Trust & Verify was John Grounds and the co-editor was Julie Cator. Richard Guthrie later became its long-serving editor. The first edition dealt entirely with arms control and disarmament verification, as that was VERTIC’s original brief. After 1989 VERTIC broadened its agenda to encompass any international agreement that requires monitoring and verification, particularly environmental and peace accords. To mark the 100th edition of Trust & Verify, we present a bumper issue, with a lead article examining how far verification of arms control and disarmament agreements has come since issue number one. Trust & Verify wishes all of its readers a peaceful and prosperous new year.

Issue no. 99, September–October 2001

David Hegarty assesses peace monitoring in the Solomon Islands, Rosalind Reeve analyses the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), while Molly Anderson examines the outcome of the COP6 environmental meeting. In addition, all of the usual features: Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 98, July–August 2001

Trevor Findlay looks at the prospects for the biological weapons protocol, while Angela Woodward examines the issue of domestic enabling legislation for the Landmine Convention. In addition, all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Verification Quotes, Book Reviews and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 97, May–June 2001

Oliver Meier assesses verification measures for the proposed biological weapons protocol, while John Russell examines the end of on-site verification under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. In addition, all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes and VERTIC News and Events.

Issue no. 96, March–April 2001

Professor Terry Wallace analyses whether Iraq conducted a nuclear weapons test, John Hart looks at the financial crisis facing the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, while Rosalie Gardiner and Clare Tenner analyse preparations for the 2002 Earth Summit. In addition, all of the usual features: Verification Watch, Science and Technology Scan, Peace Missions Monitor, Verification Quotes, Book Reviews and VERTIC News and Events. 

Issue no. 95, January-February 2001

Issue no. 94, November 2000

Issue no. 93, September 2000