Can the Spread of
Nuclear Weapons Be Stopped?
In the history of
mankind, all new technologies, once invented, have always spread across the
globe and have been applied both to peace and war. This precedent must be broken in the case of
nuclear weapons. The principal tool
towards this end has been the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty which went into
force in 1970 and to which all nations, other than four, are Parties. That Treaty sealed a complex bargain, which
is now under severe stress. Nuclear weapons states have failed to deemphasize
nuclear weapons in international relations and certain non-nuclear weapon
states are latent nuclear proliferators.
However, many states with incipient nuclear weapons programs have
abolished them. Potential approaches
toward relieving the stress on the nonproliferation regime will be
discussed. Above all, it is essential
that the