The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a treaty between a total of 190 states with the goal of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons technology. The treaty first became open for signature in 1968, and then later came into full force in 1970. Although the treaty does not officially have a three pillar system, it is most commonly interpreted that way, with the pillars being: non-proliferation, disarmament, and the right to peacefully use nuclear technology. Every five years the treat is reviewed in meetings imaginatively known as the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. In the Review Conference of 1995 the original time limit on the treaty of 25 years was decided by conscience to be extended indefinitely. At the time the treaty was first proposed it was predicted that there would be 25-30 nuclear states within 20 years. However the NPT has had a large positive influence upon this prediction as over 40 year later are only 5 nations that have not joined the treaty. And those 5 include the only 4 additional nations that are believed to possess nuclear weapons. Although it is agreed that the NPT cannot fully prevent the creation of nuclear weapons, nor the motivation of countries to acquire them, and even the fact that has done relatively little to forward the cause of nuclear disarmament, it is remarkable the amount that it has done to slow the expected growth of nuclear weapons.
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The NPT is based on the idea that non-nuclear weapon states agree never to acquire nuclear weapons and the nuclear weapons states in exchange agree to pursue nuclear disarmament. Critics argue that the NPT can’t stop the increase in Nuclear weapons nor stop the motivation to acquire them. They are dismayed at the fact that the nuclear weapon states still have 22,000 warheads. Why do you think the treaty was able to gain traction during the 1970s while the Cold War was still going?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.iaea.org/publications/documents/treaties/npt