Reviewing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)

As currently interpreted, it is difficult to see why the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) warrants much support as a nonproliferation convention. Most foreign ministries, including that of Iran and the United States, insist that Article IV of the NPT recognizes the "inalienable right" of all states to develop "peaceful nuclear energy." This includes money-losing activities, such as nuclear fuel reprocessing, which can bring countries to the very brink of acquiring nuclear weapons. If the NPT is intended to ensure that states share peaceful "benefits" of nuclear energy and to prevent the spread of nuclear bomb making technologies, it is difficult to see how it can accomplish either if the interpretation identified above is correct. Some argue, however, that the NPT clearly proscribes proliferation by requiring international nuclear safeguards against military diversions of fissile material. Unfortunately, these procedures, which are required of all non-nuclear weapons state members of the NPT under Article III, are rickety at best. Each chapter of this book is dedicated to clarifying the NPT's key ambiguities, and the chapters are roughly structured to trace the NPT's text, article by article. The analysis set forth here was mostly written or commissioned by the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. Much more, of course, could have been included in this book. But rather than seeking to be comprehensive, the aim throughout is to provide a guide for both policymakers and security analysts. This guide should assist in navigating the most important debates over how best to read and implement the NPT and, in the process, spotlighting alternative views of the NPT that are sound and supportable. Related products: Treaties in Force: A List of Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States in Force on January 1, 2016 can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/044-000-02684-8 The Warsaw Pact, Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance: Soviet-East European Military Relations in Historical Perspective: Sources and Reassessments can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/041-015-00306-2 Moving Beyond Pretense: Nuclear Power and Nonproliferation can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-000-01098-6