Slowing nuclear weapon reductions and endless nuclear weapon modernizations: A challenge to the NPT

Nuclear Notebook: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Every five years the parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) gather in New York to review progress and challenges related to the treaty. Every time, the five nuclear weapons states and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, their non-nuclear allies, and the non-aligned non-nuclear countries that have renounced possession of nuclear weapons debate often argue about whether or to what extent the obligations under the treaty’s Article VI are being met.

NPT’s Article VI states: “Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.”

In May 2015, the 190 countries that have signed the NPT will gather once more for the eighth review conference…

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The Nuclear Notebook is researched and written by Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project with the Federation of American Scientists and Robert S. Norris, a senior fellow with the FAS. The Nuclear Notebook column has been published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1987. The Nuclear Notebook column has been published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1987.