“Folding the Umbrella: Nuclear Allies, the NPT and the Ban Treaty”

By Paul Meyer
Senior Fellow, The Simons Foundation
Published by the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
Policy Brief No. 58
February 2018
 

Visit the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament at the link below for this Policy Brief by Paul Meyer, Senior Fellow with The Simons Foundation. 

“Folding the Umbrella: Nuclear Allies, the NPT and the Ban Treaty”

Summary: "The adoption of the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty (NWPT) by 122 states in July 2017 introduced a powerful new dynamic into the stagnant realm of nuclear disarmament. The decision by the nuclear weapon states (NWS) and their nuclear dependent allies to boycott the NWPT negotiations created a schism within the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) community that will not be easily repaired. The NWPT did not come out of the blue, but was in itself a manifestation of the building frustration of non-NWS over the failure of the NWS to deliver on their nuclear disarmament commitments. While sharing some of this frustration, the nuclear dependent allies opted to privilege adherence to the doctrine of nuclear deterrence over advancing nuclear disarmament goals. If the NPT regime is not to suffer serious erosion, these nuclear dependent allies will need to convince their NWS partners to undertake tangible nuclear disarmament action. The Nonproliferation and Disarmament Initiative grouping of states (which includes both pro and anti NWPT states) may have a special role to play in this regard."
 

Amb. (Ret) Paul Meyer is Senior Fellow in Space Security, The Simons Foundation; Adjunct Professor of International Studies and Fellow in International Security at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada; and Chair, Canadian Pugwash Group.