Rule of Law, Politics and Nuclear Nonproliferation

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Rule of Law, Politics and Nuclear Nonproliferation

Legal ambiguities and contractual loopholes in provisions of the NPT and IAEA safeguards agreements usually serve the purpose of those who wish to evade their obligations while claiming that they are doing nothing illegal.

By Pierre Goldschmidt

Published on Sep 7, 2007

Source: Presentation to the Ecole Internationale de Droit Nucléaire (International School of Nuclear Law) at the University of Montpellier in France

Legal ambiguities and contractual loopholes in provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and IAEA safeguards agreements usually serve the purpose of those who wish to evade their obligations while claiming that they are doing nothing illegal. It is therefore the task of legal professionals, not influenced by political considerations, to correct legal misinterpretations or misunderstandings and to prevent the re-occurrence of crises similar to those experienced with North Korea and Iran.

About the Author

Pierre Goldschmidt

Former Nonresident Senior Associate, Nuclear Policy Program

Goldschmidt was a nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment.

Recent Work

Article
A Realistic Approach Toward a Middle East Free of WMD
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Article
Serious Deficiencies Exposed by Latest IAEA Safeguards Implementation Report
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Nuclear Policy Middle East Iran South Korea

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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