The NPT is beginning to look shaky
GS Paper 1: International Relations
Important For:
Prelims Exam: NPT and member countries
Mains Exam: NPT: Issues and India’s stand on it
Context
The Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) concluded last week in New York. Marking 52 years of a treaty that every speaker described as the ‘cornerstone of the global nuclear order’. After four weeks of debate and discussion, the delegates failed to agree on a final document.
What is NPT?
- The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
- The Treaty represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.
- A total of 191 States have joined the Treaty, including the five nuclear-weapon States.
The three pillars of NPT
- Non-proliferation
- Disarmament
- Peaceful use of nuclear energy
Who has signed the Non-Proliferation treaty?
- Ever since it came into effect since 1970 after it was opened for signing in 1968, the Non-Proliferation Treaty has 191 nations who are a party to it – more than any other arms limitation treaty.
- The Non-Proliferation Treaty prohibits the nations who don’t have nuclear weapons from acquiring them, at the same time prohibiting the nuclear states from helping others in acquiring the weapons. At the same time working towards total disarmament.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is the successor of the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission verifies the compliance with the treaty. The compliance, in turn, is enforced by the United Nations Security Council.
- There are a total of nine nations that possess nuclear weapons.
- Five of the nations namely – US, UK, France, Russia and China have signed the treaty.
- The remaining four nations namely – India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea have not signed the treaty and thus not a party to the treaty.
Why India never signed the treaty?
- As per the stance of the Indian Government, the treaty in its current form is unfair as it, virtually, states that the 5 victorious nations of World War II have the right to possess nuclear weapons while condemning the rest of the nations who don’t have the weapons, to be subservient to the whims and fancies of the nations who do.
- In short, the treaty divides the world into nuclear ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.
India’s position on NPT
- India’s traditional position has always been that either the five nations denuclearize or everyone has the same rights as those who possess them.
- Also, escalation of tensions by one of its nuclear-armed neighbours i.e., China was the primary reason why India conducted its own nuclear tests in the first place.
- It is this same escalation by India that prompted Pakistan to conduct its own nuclear test in order to act as a deterrent to what is perceived as “India’s naked aggression.
What are the drawbacks of the treaty?
- The main drawbacks of the treaty are that it never held accountable the 5 nations who possessed nuclear weapons at the time when the treaty was signed.
- At the same time, the enforcement of the treaty is also a serious cause for concern. Despite the threat of economic sanctions and other serious consequences, North Korea detonated its first bomb in 2006. Now even Iran is poised to go down the same route.
- The treaty even has serious loopholes which can be exploited by other nations in order to have their own nuclear weapons program.
Issues with Non-Proliferation Treaty
- NNWS (Non-Nuclear Weapon States) criticizes the treaty to be discriminatory as it focuses on preventing only horizontal proliferation while there is no limit for vertical proliferation.
- NNWS groupings demand that the NWS should renounce their arsenals and further production in return for the commitment of NNWS not to produce them.
Conclusion
It’s clear that the world is a better place because of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. It was predicted that about 25 nations will possess nuclear weapons. But the mere presence of it has reduced it to 9. The mere presence of the safeguard can at least promise an era of peace, and if the current loopholes are fixed, it will fulfil such a promise.
The NPT is beginning to look shaky
GS Paper 1: International Relations
Important For:
Prelims Exam: NPT and member countries
Mains Exam: NPT: Issues and India’s stand on it
Context
The Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) concluded last week in New York. Marking 52 years of a treaty that every speaker described as the ‘cornerstone of the global nuclear order’. After four weeks of debate and discussion, the delegates failed to agree on a final document.
What is NPT?
- The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
- The Treaty represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.
- A total of 191 States have joined the Treaty, including the five nuclear-weapon States.
The three pillars of NPT
- Non-proliferation
- Disarmament
- Peaceful use of nuclear energy
Who has signed the Non-Proliferation treaty?
- Ever since it came into effect since 1970 after it was opened for signing in 1968, the Non-Proliferation Treaty has 191 nations who are a party to it – more than any other arms limitation treaty.
- The Non-Proliferation Treaty prohibits the nations who don’t have nuclear weapons from acquiring them, at the same time prohibiting the nuclear states from helping others in acquiring the weapons. At the same time working towards total disarmament.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is the successor of the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission verifies the compliance with the treaty. The compliance, in turn, is enforced by the United Nations Security Council.
- There are a total of nine nations that possess nuclear weapons.
- Five of the nations namely – US, UK, France, Russia and China have signed the treaty.
- The remaining four nations namely – India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea have not signed the treaty and thus not a party to the treaty.
Why India never signed the treaty?
- As per the stance of the Indian Government, the treaty in its current form is unfair as it, virtually, states that the 5 victorious nations of World War II have the right to possess nuclear weapons while condemning the rest of the nations who don’t have the weapons, to be subservient to the whims and fancies of the nations who do.
- In short, the treaty divides the world into nuclear ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.
India’s position on NPT
- India’s traditional position has always been that either the five nations denuclearize or everyone has the same rights as those who possess them.
- Also, escalation of tensions by one of its nuclear-armed neighbours i.e., China was the primary reason why India conducted its own nuclear tests in the first place.
- It is this same escalation by India that prompted Pakistan to conduct its own nuclear test in order to act as a deterrent to what is perceived as “India’s naked aggression.
What are the drawbacks of the treaty?
- The main drawbacks of the treaty are that it never held accountable the 5 nations who possessed nuclear weapons at the time when the treaty was signed.
- At the same time, the enforcement of the treaty is also a serious cause for concern. Despite the threat of economic sanctions and other serious consequences, North Korea detonated its first bomb in 2006. Now even Iran is poised to go down the same route.
- The treaty even has serious loopholes which can be exploited by other nations in order to have their own nuclear weapons program.
Issues with Non-Proliferation Treaty
- NNWS (Non-Nuclear Weapon States) criticizes the treaty to be discriminatory as it focuses on preventing only horizontal proliferation while there is no limit for vertical proliferation.
- NNWS groupings demand that the NWS should renounce their arsenals and further production in return for the commitment of NNWS not to produce them.
Conclusion
It’s clear that the world is a better place because of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. It was predicted that about 25 nations will possess nuclear weapons. But the mere presence of it has reduced it to 9. The mere presence of the safeguard can at least promise an era of peace, and if the current loopholes are fixed, it will fulfil such a promise.