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Unit 5Nuclear Weapons 2 - Non-Proliferation, Disarmament and Peaceful UsesChapter 1: Introduction and overview
All chapters
  1. 1. Introduction and overview
  2. 2. History of the nuclear non-proliferation regime: From the bomb to the NPT
  3. 3. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
  4. 4. The NPT over time: The NPT Review Cycle
  5. 5. Implementation of non-proliferation
  6. 6. Controversies
  7. 7. The European Union and the nuclear non-proliferation regime
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Chapter 1

Introduction and overview

Introduction and overview

This learning unit will provide an overview of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, exploring its origins, norms and institutions. This is of the utmost importance as it will enable those who study this Learning Unit to firstly, understand the original sins that make the regime contested and/or criticised; secondly, grasp the main instruments of public international law that regulate the regime, especially the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); and finally, have a complete and/or holistic view of the practical development of the regime through bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other bodies of the United Nations system. This unit is divided into six sections.

In the first section, we will explore the origins of the atomic bomb, the nuclear arms race, the resulting need for nuclear non-proliferation and arms control, and the drafting process and rationale of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

In the second section, we will look at the content and basic commitments of the three pillars of the NPT: nuclear non-proliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy and nuclear disarmament. In particular, we will address the difficulties in implementing the disarmament pillar and the divergent interests between the nuclear weapon states (NWS) and the non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS), as well as the difficulties that state parties to the NPT encounter in using nuclear energy for peaceful uses.

The third section will cover the NPT review cycle and its main successes and failures in implementing the treaty’s objectives since 1995.

In the fourth section, we will address the institutional development and implementation of the non-proliferation pillar by analysing the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its safeguards system, as well as other international instruments such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the proposed Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) and informal groups of states such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

The fifth section will address the main controversies over the content and implementation of the NPT. In particular, we will look at the issue of nuclear arms sharing (specifically the case of NATO, Russia-Belarus and Pakistan-Saudi Arabia) and how this might contravene Articles I and II of the treaty; the relationship between the NPT and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW); and, finally, the implications of a decision to withdraw from the NPT, with a special focus on the potential dangers arising from the acquisition of nuclear material and technology.

Finally, this unit will explore the role of the EU in the NPT framework, expanding on its main milestones and challenges.

The EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course aims to cover all aspects of the EU non-proliferation and disarmament agenda. It's produced by PRIF with financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of individual learning units are the sole responsibility of the respective authors and don't necessariy reflect the position of the European Union.