General Assembly Issue #3: The question of halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons to ensure sustainable global security
General Assembly Issue #3: The question of halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons to ensure sustainable global security
Reprinted from the www.iberianmun.org website
Nuclear Proliferation is defined as the spread of nuclear weapons along with technology, or any fissile material to countries that do not already possess them (Munro). During World War II with the fear that Nazi Germany would develop its own nuclear weapons faster than they would, the Allied powers began developing nuclear weapons themselves; this led to the development of the Manhattan Project (“The History of Nuclear Proliferation”).
The Manhattan Project triggered the bombings carried out by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 (U.S. Department of Energy). This pivotal moment set off a chain of historical events which ultimately reshaped the world’s relationship with nuclear weapons. Due to this, in December of 1957, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower urged for the creation of an international organization to establish peaceful nuclear technology. The organization is now known as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and overviews the promotion and control of nuclear technology (United Nations). Despite the presence of this organization, the spread of nuclear weapons continued (Roser et al.).
In 1986, countries developed the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) which aimed at halting the spread of nuclear weapons, disarmament, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy (The Nuclear Threat Initiative). Most countries ratified this with the exception of Israel, India, South Sudan, Pakistan, and North Korea (“TREATY on the NON-PROLIFERATION of NUCLEAR WEAPONS”).
A solution to the risks imposed by nuclear weapons on global security was presented, in 2021: the TPNW (Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons) in which parties confirm that they “never under any circumstances” will “[u]se or threaten to use nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” On the other hand, this treaty bears little weight if nations with nuclear weaponry do not ratify the TPNW.
In January 2022, P5 nations created a separate declaration “affirm[ing] that nuclear weapons—for as long as they continue to exist—should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.” While theoretically defensive, nuclear security remains threatened by national agendas who impose different criterion regarding national threats (PILPG et al.).
If nations do not ratify the treaties with the goal of halting nuclear proliferation global security remains at risk. The non-signing creates an unbalance on the use of these weapons, continues to weaken the global security of all other countries, but most importantly, any breaches have the potential to have a cascading regional and international effect.
Works Cited
Munro, André. “Nuclear Proliferation | Military | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/nuclear-proliferation. Accessed 29 May 2024.
PILPG, et al. “The Controversy around Nuclear Weapons.” Public International Law & Policy Group, 9 June 2023, www.publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/lawyering-justice-blog/2023/6/9/thecontroversy-around-nuclear-weapons. Accessed 29 May 2024.
Roser, Max, et al. “Nuclear Weapons.” Our World in Data, 2013, www.ourworldindata.org/nuclearweapons. Accessed 14 June 2024.
“The History of Nuclear Proliferation.” CFR Education from the Council on Foreign Relations, 27 July 2023, www.education.cfr.org/learn/timeline/history-nuclearproliferation#:~:text=The%20success%20of%20the%20Manhattan. Accessed 13 June 2024.
The Nuclear Threat Initiative. “NPT - the Nuclear Threat Initiative.” The Nuclear Threat Initiative, 11 Oct. 2021, www.nti.org/education-center/treaties-and-regimes/treaty-on-the-non-proliferation-ofnuclear-weapons/. Accessed 14 June 2024.
“TREATY on the NON-PROLIFERATION of NUCLEAR WEAPONS.” U.S. Department of Energy. “Manhattan Project: The Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki, August 9, 1945.” Osti.gov, 2019, www.osti.gov/opennet/manhattan-project-history/Events/1945/nagasaki.htm. Accessed 14 June 2024.
United Nations. “Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.” 2015, https://un.org/en/conf/npt/2015/pdf/background%20info.pfd. Accessed 13 June 2024