The Role of Non - Nuclear Weapon States in International Verification and Disarmament

Though each of these cases should be seen as success es in their own right, they fall short of being models for future disarmament processes. T o begin with, the y were all a result of unilateral decisions that were not subject to independent verification at the time of implementation . This in variably undermines their completeness as disarmament processes . Likewise, they took place in an environment where there was arguably a high degree of good faith that commitments were actually being met. This sort of trust, especially between would - be adversaries in a negotiated settlement , cannot always be pre - assumed in future disarmament processes. F uture disarmament efforts will undoubtedly change as the number of nuclear weapons worldwide decline because th e potential advantages of cheating increase as countries near zero . In such a situation, if a country successfully stashes even one nuclear warhead, this will significantly alter the global nuclear balance. Accordingly, verification processes will need to evolve to become more inclusive of the broader international community to ensure that this sort of scenario is avoided.