In the November issue of the Arms Control Today journal, Pugwash President Sergio Duarte reviews the genesis of the multilateral nuclear disarmament process that created the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and looks to the challenges for the next Review Conference in 2020.
In one way or another, all existing instruments in the arms control field deal with nonproliferation by prohibiting nuclear weapons only where they do not exist (outer space, the Antarctic, the seabed, nuclear-weapon-free zones). Yet, none of the instruments in force so far establishes legally binding, time-bound, and effectively verifiable provisions aimed at the elimination of nuclear arsenals. This is considered by many parties the main flaw of the existing regime.
The ever-present tension between the goal of the majority of the international community in seeking a world free of nuclear weapons and the proposed step-by-step approach of the nuclear weapons possessor states presents a serious challenge to yet another failed NPT Review Conference. In light of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, Amb. Duarte discusses recommendations for positive action in the NPT framework that could promote greater security for all through adherence to the existing norms-based regime.
Read the full article at the Arms Control Today website.
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