Nuclear Weapons 2 - Non-Proliferation, Disarmament and Peaceful Uses

Chapters

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you will:

understand the origins of the nuclear bomb, the nuclear arms race, the need for nuclear non-proliferation and arms control, and have a grasp of the process leading to the NPT and its rationale;
know the basic requirements and undertakings of the three pillars of the NPT:
- Nuclear non-proliferation
- Peaceful uses of nuclear energy
- Nuclear disarmament;
understand the structure and role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the functioning of its safeguard system;
understand the difficulties in implementing the disarmament pillar and the divergent interests between nuclear weapon states (NWS) and non-nuclear weapon states;
have an overview of the peaceful uses of the nuclear energy pillar;
understand the civilian applications of nuclear energy and the new developments in the sector;
understand the main provisions of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT): nuclear sharing, implementation of safeguards, compliance, enforcement, transparency, universality, nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZ), and its relationship to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW);
have a clear idea of the rationale and process of the NPT review cycle and its evolution since 1995;
understand the issue of NPT withdrawal, its controversies and its process; and
grasp the role of the EU in the NPT framework, its milestones and challenges

Credits

Manuel Herrera
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Monitor project
Dr Manuel Herrera is a Senior Policy Fellow at BASIC, the Programme Manager of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Programme, and the Project Manager of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Monitor project. Manuel conducts research in the field of non-proliferation and disarmament, with a specific expertise on the Iranian nuclear programme and nuclear diplomacy in the context of the NPT. Previously, Manuel was Research Fellow in the Multilateralism and Global Governance programme at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI, Rome), where he co-managed IAI’s activities within the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC). He was also a research assistant in the nuclear security programme at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, India; worked at the Office of Geopolitical Analysis of the Spanish Ministry of Defence; and was an EUNPDC intern within the “Next Generation” programme at the Institute for Foreign and International Policy (INCIPE) in Madrid. Finally, Manuel was a non-doctoral fellow at the Centre for International Studies in Lisbon, and a visiting researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. He holds a Master’s degree in International Security from the Institute of International Studies of Barcelona (IBEI) and a PhD from the King Juan Carlos University of Madrid in the Social and Legal Sciences programme, specialising in Public International Law and International Relations.
Ottavia Credi
Ottavia Credi was a Researcher in IAI’s Defence and Security Programmes. She specialises in international security, European and transatlantic defence, disarmament and non-proliferation. Formerly, Ottavia worked at the European Parliament in Brussels and at the American Security Project in Washington DC. Ottavia holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Trento and a Master of Arts in Intelligence & International Security from King’s College London’s War Studies Department. She currently works as a consultant on EU policies.

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Funding

This Learning Unit was produced with financial assistance from the European Union. The contents of this Learning Unit are however the sole responsibility of the author(s) and should under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

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Preferred Citation

Manuel Herrera and Ottavia Credi, "Nuclear Weapons 2 - Non-Proliferation, Disarmament and Peaceful Uses" in EUNPDC eLearning, ed. Niklas Schörnig, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. Available at https://eunpdc-elearning.netlify.app/lu-05/, last modified 5 May 2025

Editorial Note

This is a beta version of the learning unit, which is regularly optimised. Please report any factual errors or discrepancies to the publisher. (support(at)nonproliferation-elearning.eu). Please note that although the original text was written by the authors, the video production and simplifications were carried out by PRIF.

Nuclear Weapons 2 - Non-Proliferation, Disarmament and Peaceful Uses

Chapters

1. Introduction and overview

2. History of the nuclear non-proliferation regime: From the bomb to the NPT

3. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

4. The NPT over time: The NPT Review Cycle

5. Implementation of non-proliferation

6. Controversies

7. The European Union and the nuclear non-proliferation regime