Challenges to the 2015 NPT Review Conference

The 2010 NPT Review Conference (RevCon) was viewed as a success in largest part because it adopted a Final Document that included an unprecedented Action Plan that addressed all three pillars of the NPT – nonproliferation, disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy – as well as a decision on the Middle East that outlined steps to be taken to convene a conference to begin to address calls for a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (MEWMDFZ). The 2015 NPT RevCon faces a number of challenges to attain a positive outcome that strengthens the NPT and advances its agenda. These challenges include unresolved issues of Treaty compliance and the role of NPT Parties and the review process in addressing them; the role in NPT diplomacy of the Non-Aligned Movement, now led by Iran, whose membership represents a majority of NPT parties; obstacles to convening the Middle East conference endorsed by the 2010 NPT RevCon; and the pressure the NPT Nuclear Weapon States will face to demonstrate further, tangible progress toward nuclear disarmament. This paper will address several challenges facing the 2015 RevCon, and will offer initial ideas for overcoming these barriers to success.