Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a worldwide agreement that tries to stop nuclear weapons and their technology from spreading. It also encourages countries to use nuclear energy peacefully and aims to get rid of all nuclear weapons eventually. In 2020, the NPT celebrated its 50th anniversary since coming into force. Understanding the Non-Proliferation Treaty is crucial for aspirants of the IAS Exam, particularly for the section on current affairs, which holds significance for the Mains GS-II (International Relations & Multilateral Agreements) examination.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty, operational since 1970 following its opening for signing in 1968, boasts 187 participating nations. Its core objective is to prevent non-nuclear states from acquiring nuclear arms and prohibit nuclear powers from assisting others in obtaining such weapons.
Oversight of compliance lies with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the successor to the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission, with enforcement handled by the United Nations Security Council. Nine countries currently have nuclear weapons. Among them, the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China have signed the treaty. However, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea have not signed it and are not part of the treaty.
The roles of states are outlined as follows:
The Non-Proliferation Treaty faces significant criticisms. So here are some drawbacks of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) below:
Here are the key concerns associated with the Non-Proliferation Treaty:
The effects of NPT are given as follows:The state without nuclear weapons will not acquire them.The states with the nuclear weapons will pursue disarmamentAll states are allowed to access nuclear Technology for peaceful purposes following safeguard.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty is a multilateral treaty drafted by the 18 Nation committee on disarmament. It is an UN sponsored organisation that is based in Switzerland.The NPT aims to limit the spread of nuclear weapons that include three elements:Non-ProliferationDisarmamentPeaceful use of nuclear energyThe treaty was signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970.
The issues associated with NPT are as follows:The Non -Proliferation Treaty is seen as a Cold War era instrument that has failed to fulfill the objective of creating a way towards a disarmament process.NNWS criticizes the Treaty to be discriminatory as it concentrates on preventing horizontal proliferation while there was no limit for vertical proliferation.NNWS also felt that the restrictions on Peaceful Nuclear Explosion(PNE) technology are one sided.
India is one of the five countries that refused to sign the NPT or withdrew after signing,then it became a part of a list that includes Pakistan,Israel,North Korea and South Sudan.As India always considered the Non -Proliferation Treaty(NPT) as a discrimination towards India,so it refused to sign it.India has always opposed the International Treaties which aimed at Non-Proliferation as they were selectively applicable to the non-nuclear powers and legitimized the monopoly of the five nuclear weapon powers.
The main drawbacks of the treaty are given as follows:The Treaty has several loopholes which can be exploited by the other Nations to have their own Nuclear program.The NPT will make the world a better place.It was predicted that about 25 Nations will have nuclear weapons but the presence of it has reduced to 9.This Treaty never held accountable the 5 Nations who have the nuclear weapons at the time when the treaty was signed.That time the enforcement of the Treaty was a serious concern.
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