In June 1998, shortly after the Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests, seven countries launched the New Agenda Initiative, which found unacceptable the premise that nuclear weapons can be retained indefinitely and stated that the only guarantee against the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons is the total elimination of such weapons. Since then, the New Agenda Initiative – or Coalition as it is often called – has had considerable success in making its views heard, accepted and acted upon. In this way it has given new direction and content to an area where international negotiations are usually very slow-moving.
