Part IV Activities of Organizations, Ch.11 Non-Proliferation and Disarmament

Subject(s):

Weapons, nuclear — Collective security — Membership of international organizations — Resolutions of international organizations — International organizations, practice and procedure — Military matters

This chapter focuses on the nuclear non-proliferation regime. It begins by tracing the history and evolution of the formal international organizations (IOs) and treaties — notably the 1968 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) — that provide the foundation for the nuclear regime. It then tracks the origins of informal and ad-hoc arrangements — particularly the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) — and assesses their contribution to preventing nuclear proliferation. Next, it outlines the three contemporary challenges posed to the regime by states within the regime; states outside the regime; and non-state actors. The final section examines the diverse set of responses to these contemporary challenges and the effectiveness in addressing them. The chapter concludes by identifying the trends in the evolution of IOs to prevent nuclear proliferation.