As the 2019 Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) kicks off, the European Leadership Network brings together analysis and commentary from leading experts in the field.
The 2019 NPT Review Conference looks set to be as polarising as ever. Here are the issues the NPT community will need to find common ground on in order to strengthen the NPT regime.
Whilst unbridgeable differences regarding the Ban Treaty exist, the urgent need to prevent the unacceptable humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons and risks this weaponry entails must be of shared concern, argues Ambassador Alexander Kmentt
ELN Senior Network member Dr Hans Blix speaks to Sophie Taylor on the current state of nuclear non-proliferation, the JCPOA, challenges in multilateralism and lessons-learned from a long and distinguished diplomatic career.
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is often alleged to be at risk of “crumbling” or “damaged beyond repair”. Kjølv Egeland, Fellow at the Norwegian Academy of International Law, argues that this fear-mongering is unfounded. The NPT is one of the most widely supported international agreements that exist today. The challenge facing its supporters is not damage-limitation or “protecting what we’ve got” but extending the disarmament norm.
Dr Heather Williams, Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London (KCL) and Amelia Morgan, Research Assistant at KCL’s Centre for Science and Security Studies (CSSS) examine how the United States and Russia could become more responsible nuclear actors and strengthen the global nuclear order at a time when it is most fragile.
RUSI’s Research Analyst Cristina Varriale argues that the UK has the potential to bridge the gap between member states and help to pave the way towards consensus at the next NPT Review Conference.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty regime is in crisis: the heart of the problem is the failure of the nuclear-armed states parties to eliminate their nuclear weapons.
In the current deteriorating security environment there should be no complacency over the health and future of the NPT. The case must be re-made for the security benefits of this vital treaty.