Future Prospects for the NPT

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In The Media

Future Prospects for the NPT

The results of the 2010 NPT Review Conference were notable. Now, NPT parties must determine how best to build on their incremental success and overcome obstacles, some of which already are apparent.

By Deepti Choubey

Published on Jul 15, 2010

Source: Arms Control Today

Future Prospects for the NPTFor the fourth time in 40 years, the parties to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) accomplished the difficult task of reaching consensus on steps to strengthen the treaty at the end of their review conference in May. At the review conference—the eighth since the NPT came into force in 1970—the 172 states in attendance universally adopted a 64-point action plan and steps toward creating a zone free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the Middle East.

There have been a number of complaints, many of them legitimate, about what it does and does not contain. Nevertheless, it did succeed in capturing the commitment of all states to the principles and objectives of the treaty. Considering the damage the nonproliferation regime has endured in the last decade, that commitment was not a foregone conclusion.

About the Author

Deepti Choubey

Former Deputy Director, Nuclear Policy Program

Choubey was previously the director of the Peace and Security Initiative for the Ploughshares Fund. She also worked for Ambassador Nancy Soderberg in the New York office of the International Crisis Group.

Recent Work

Q&A
Understanding the 2010 NPT Review Conference
- Deepti Choubey
Article
Defining Success for the NPT Review Conference
- Deepti Choubey

Nuclear Policy

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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