In this video, we're going to talk about nuclear non-proliferation.
On the one hand, nuclear non-proliferation can be described as
a norm that was fixed in Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
On the other hand, nuclear non-proliferation can be described as a set of
arrangements that created global nuclear non-proliferation regime.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970,
became a cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.
So, let's now describe the basic ideas of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT.
First of all, the NPT divides all state parties into two categories.
The states who have
legal right to possess nuclear weapons are called nuclear-weapon States,
and the second group consists of
the states who do not have the legal right to possess nuclear weapons,
they are called non-nuclear-weapon States.
The three main ideas of the NPT are the peaceful use of nuclear energy,
so that nuclear energy and the results of
scientific and technological progress should be used only for peaceful purposes.
That is the first pillar of the NPT.
The second pillar of the NPT is nuclear non-proliferation.
There should be no diversion from
peaceful to military purposes in the use of nuclear energy.
And the third pillar of the NPT is the norm of disarmament.
The state parties to the treaty should do everything that is possible to
move towards the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.
So that are the three main ideas of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
We should mention that the NPT is still not universal.
There are states that have not signed and ratified the NPT.
They are Israel, India,
Pakistan, and South Sudan.
In 2003, North Korea withdrawn from the NPT.
Nuclear non-proliferation regime consists of several elements.
But now, let's concentrate on
the main provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
When state parties to the treaty were signing and ratifying the NPT,
they had some expectations,
and non-nuclear-weapon States expected that by joining the NPT,
they will support and enforce their national security.
So, their expectation is that there should be some security assurances.
These assurances should be provided by nuclear-weapon States.
The concept of security assurances consists of two parts.
The first part is negative security assurances.
It means that nuclear-weapon States promise not to
use nuclear weapons or the threat of
the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states,
and positive security assurances mean that nuclear-weapon States promise to
provide assistance and defense to the non-nuclear States in case
when they are threatened or they are attacked by some aggressor.
That are negative and positive security assurances.
There were active negotiations about
these concepts during the process of negotiating the NPT.
And the result is that these norms
nuclear-weapon States refused to include into the main text of the NPT.
The concepts of positive and negative security assurances are
described only in the introductory part of the NPT, in the preamble.
Let's now look at the definition of nuclear-weapon States.
As you can see on the slide,
the NPT describes nuclear-weapon States as those states which had
nuclear weapon tests before 1 January, 1967.
This is the ninth article of the NPT.
And if you read the text of the NPT,
you will see that nuclear-weapon States are mentioned only several times.
So, they do not have a lot of obligations according to the treaty.
The main obligations are not to support
non-nuclear-weapon States in their attempts to get access to nuclear weapons,
in their attempts to develop,
produce, or test nuclear weapons.
So, nuclear-weapon States should develop
their national effective systems of governmental control over the transfer of materials,
equipment, and technologies related to nuclear weapons development
and related to the development
and production of the means of delivery for nuclear weapons.
If you look at the text of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,
you will see that non-nuclear states are mentioned many times and they have a lot
of obligations but they also have some rights according to the NPT.
So, the NPT is quite attractive for
the state parties who do not have a legal right to possess nuclear weapons.
Non-nuclear weapons states can participate in international cooperation.
Scientific and technical cooperation to use the results of
technological progress for the purposes of
the development of their economy and prosperity.
However, non-nuclear weapon states have a lot of obligations according to the NPT.
By signing the NPT,
they promise not to try to acquire nuclear weapons.
And they promise not to switch their peaceful nuclear programs for military purposes.
So now, let's have a look at the concepts of Safeguard System and Export Control.
The idea of Safeguard System is described in the article three of the NPT.
Non-nuclear states should sign this special agreement with
the International Atomic Energy Agency and set all their facilities and
activities in the nuclear sphere under the control of the IAEA.
The IAEA uses different procedures and instruments to monitor
and verify the compliance with the obligations under the NPT.
This is Safeguard System.
The idea of Export Control is described in the articles one and two of the NPT.
And both non-nuclear weapon states and nuclear weapon states must
follow the prescribed norms.
Those who possess military nuclear technologies must not transfer or must
not support any attempts from
non-nuclear weapon states to acquire military nuclear technologies.
And strict control over the transfer of materials, equipment, technologies,
knowledge and any related materials should be set on national,
regional and global level.
So, several additional institutions support the function of Export Control System.
Nuclear suppliers group is non-official arrangement
and states who have advanced
nuclear technologies participate in the work of these fora.
United Nations Security Council Resolution
1540 also describes measures that should be taken on the national,
regional and global level to support the norm of experts control.
According to the NPT,
the state parties to the treaty can establish zones free of nuclear weapons.
On the map, you can see those zones.
The first inhibited zone appear in Latin America.
By now, we have five zones.
In Latin America, in Africa,
In South Pacific, in South East Asia and in Central Asia.
There are several separate international agreements
that prohibit to deploy nuclear weapons on the seabed,
in the outer space and on the moon and other celestial bodies.
They are also zones free of nuclear weapons.
So, zones free of nuclear weapons can be charged as
an example of prohibition of deployment of nuclear weapons.
To move towards the goal of world free of
nuclear weapons is impossible without controlling nuclear tests.
The first attempt to stop nuclear arms race by controlling
nuclear tests was made in 1963 by signing partial test ban treaty.
That treaty prohibited to have nuclear tests in the atmosphere,
in the space and underwater.
The next step in this way was the development of
comprehensive test ban treaty that was open for signature in 1996.
It is not enforced yet.
But nuclear test ban treaty introduces
a comprehensive norm of total prohibition of nuclear tests.
The preamble of the NPT includes the norm of abolishing of nuclear weapons.
So, the first significant step towards the go of free of
nuclear weapons was made by signing and entering into force over the NPT.
The second important step towards
the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons was made in 2017.
This year, a new treaty,
the treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons was adopted and opened for signature.
However, the nuclear weapons states,
state parties to the NPT, Russia, the U.S.A.,
The United Kingdom, France and China abstained from
the negotiations and refused to sign the new treaty that prohibits nuclear weapons.
