Fifteen Nuclear Agendas to Watch

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), which entered into force in 1970, recognizes the right of five countries to possess nuclear weapons, conditional upon eventual disarmament, and the right of other signatories to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, conditional upon their non-acquisition of nuclear weapons. Its ratification is nearly universal, with the exception of Israel, India, and Pakistan. But the nonproliferation regime today “is under strain,” writes CFR Adjunct Fellow Paul Lettow in this Council Special Report. North Korea left the NPT and tested its first nuclear weapon in 2006. And Iran’s growing uranium enrichment capabilities, seen by many states as cover for a military program, continue to vex nonproliferation efforts.