Year
2006
Abstract
The nuclear non-proliferation regime today faces a broad array of challenges. Some refer to the system as being ‘in crisis’; that may be too strong a statement, but the regime is certainly being tested. A number of vulnerabilities in the system have been exposed in recent years, and changes are clearly needed if we are to avoid the further proliferation of nuclear weapons. Why are these changes needed? The answer is quite simple. The world is undergoing rapid changes on many fronts — socially, politically and technologically. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was ratified more than 30 years ago. It should not surprise us that the solutions of 1970 are not a perfect fit to the challenges of 2006 and beyond. The problem is that we have not in all cases made the necessary adjustments to match these new challenges.